compassion –  ” . . . The recession-era 12th grade students surveyed between 2008 and 2010 showed an increase in concern for others and had more of an interest in social issues compared with pre-recession 12th graders surveyed between 2004 and 2006. One example is that students surveyed during the recession were increasingly looking for a job that is “worthwhile to society,” as this graph shows:

The study also found that recession-era youth were more likely to turn down the heat in their home to save energy (63 percent) compared with pre-recession youth (55 percent); more likely to think about social problems (30 percent versus 26 percent); and more likely to use a bicycle or public transit to get to work (36 percent versus 28 percent).

“This is the silver lining of the Great Recession,” said Patricia Greenfield, professor of psychology at UCLA and senior author of the study, in a statement. “These findings are consistent with my theory that fewer economic resources lead to more concern for others and the community. It is a change very much needed by our society.”