I hear your pain. I'm a classical guitarist, am early 30s and have been playing for 30 years. I've also been teaching for 10 years. I teach a Music Appreciation Class at a community college and I try to make the class as fun as possible. I usually play the greatest hits and will say 'You know, this piece should sound familiar, did you see this movie?' and their faces light up w/recognition. I get a lot of 'I didn't know that was classical music!'
I feel so happy when an entire class of students leave the semester more enchanted w/classical music (even modern 20th C music). They have to attend a concert & of course I get so many groans. But, in the end they ALL end up pleasantly surprised and disappointed that the concert ended.
Honestly, I get so frustrated about how much I get paid for concerts. All that work, even $1000 for a concerto is nothing compared to the millions rappers/rock artists/pop singers make. And the work put into learning a concerto or 1 hour's worth of classical music is huge!!
I rant to my husband and he always says 'the mass is not really educated.' The music industry gives what the masses want: crappy, half naked, loud, 'music.'
I think if the mass were introduced to music from early on in their childhood, there would be more of an appreciation for classical music. Unfortunately, classical music education is not part of the schooling system. Until that changes, you will get people responding to classical music w/negativity.
Oh, a personal side note: the best is when I tell people I play classical guitar and they respond 'Like Esteban?' sigh.
So, you're not alone in your frustration. Just be patient and do your best at educating other young adults. Bring them to concerts w/you or play a classical cd in the background while hanging out. Anything subtle you can do to bring people to your side is good. But, never throw it in their faces or belittle them if they listen to pop or rap. Better to gently introduce people to classical music than to force them.