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San Francisco, CA—Millennials are often stereotyped as a narcissistic, entitled generation that Instagrams everything, “swipes left” to find a date, speaks in text, and can’t lift their heads away from their cellphones.

But the 2017 Wells Fargo Millennial Study, a Harris poll of almost 1,800 American Millennials this summer, found that this group is far more optimistic and altruistic than some earlier generations, and when it comes to topics where they don’t feel confident, they’d rather deal with a human advisor than a screen.

While the study was focused on Millennial attitudes toward finance and investing, some key insights emerged:

• There are 79.8 million Millennials in the United States.
• 75% of the workforce will be Millennials by 2025.
• $30 trillion in wealth may pass down to Millennials.
• About 26% of respondents were qualified as “affluent,” making at least $80,000/year and with at least $100,000 in investable assets. 74% were qualified as non-affluent.
• Millennials care about their relationships, purpose, as well as financial wellness. Nine out of 10 respondents said all these were important to them: feeling mentally and physically healthy, making a difference for the greater good, feeling financially secure, having fulfilling work, and having close personal relationships.
• Three out of five say they feel happy and their lives are meaningful.
• Millennials view themselves as givers, not takers, and when it comes to investing, will try to invest in ways that benefit the greater good. If given $1,000 to invest, they would choose a company that makes the world a better place with their product, and 74% said it would be easier to stomach the ups and downs of investing if the investments had a positive impact on the world.
• 42% are not yet financially independent, relying regularly on family, friends, or a spouse for financial support—a hurdle toward altruism.
• Millennials enjoy going to work every day, but 88% say success at work is more about happiness than material prosperity. They are rewriting the definition of work/life balance and career satisfaction, though 82% feel their careers will provide financial security.
• Not all Millennials are saddled with student debt. Many are—the average is about $20,000, says the survey—but 85% of affluent Millennials feel more in control of their financial lives than Boomers or non-affluent Millennials.
• Having lived through the financial crash of 2008, Millennials are wary of the stock market.   

Click here or on the image below to watch Wells Fargo’s video about Millennials’ financial attitudes.