Our recent survey of American Modern Orthodox Jews did indeed show that today's 35-44 year olds have stronger Jewish learning backgrounds than those 20-30 years older than them. So today's teens are growing up in homes where their parents are more learned than their parents' parents were. But the times have changed. Modern society (drugs, technology - with its addictive nature, etc.) continues to permeate Orthodoxy. Also, just because today's parents' parents were not as learned as they are, it doesn't mean they were any less devoted to their Judaism, in belief or practice .... while they may not have had a deep understanding of why we do certain mitzvos, etc., in terms of how they came across to their kids, they may have been just as frum. It would be interesting to take today's "half Shabbos" kids and see how they develop, especially if they continue their Jewish studies. Finally, I would add my personal view that a lot of learning is more intellectual than spiritual.
