Demographics

Impact Study

We present the nuances of 7 generations over the past one and a quarter century (125 years) that is our past and future existence. Generational cohorts are not meant to give meaning to differences among individuals, just showcase the public events and shared experiences we had together.

Generation Alpha aka iGeneration (or "Net Gen") born 2013-2025

• Generation Alpha, Gen Tech, digital natives, the Net Gen
• Millenial parents bending to kids opinions and tech desires
• Higher/formal educations, online learning, digital classrooms
• General AI, more access to information, iPads and Instagram
• Most educated, digitally connected, selfish and introverted
• Gamification, creativity, instant gratification, ubiquitous screens
• Minority groups will rule, multiracial marriages, racial diversity
• Only child, many single parents, decreasing birthrates
• Caretakers, much older parents, stewardship of the aging population
• Plant-based, vegans, vegetarians, meatless or fake meats
• Space travel and the stars, driverless AI, autonomous vehicles
• Energy storage batteries, solar panels, windmills and renewables

Post-Millenials aka Zillenials (or "Gen Z") born 1997-2012

• Smartphone addictions, social media, 3G/LTE/5G and rise of mobile Internet
• Entrepreneurial, hustle and grind, hardworking, gig economy, co-working spaces
• Being a good parent, successful marriage, ranks higher than sacrificing for a high-earning career
• Trump elected, political turmoil, activism, climate change, economic disparity or income inequality
• Snapchat, Discord, TikTok, YouTube influencers and Fortnite dances, Tesla/SpaceX launching rockets into space
• Mental health is real, sensitive "snowflakes" memes, fragile, cyberbulling, cancel culture
• Multiracial and multicultural world, same-sex marriages, more accepting of social issues
• AI, machine learning, facial recognition, chatbots, voice assistants, Alexa and Google Home
• Virtual Reality (VR), escape rooms, sushi, fast casual dining, eCigs and vaping
• "The Infection Conception", Coronavirus (COVID-19) and social distancing

Millenials (or "Gen Y") born 1981-1996

• Highly educated, underemployed, student debt crisis, delayed weddings, Gen Me, Gen We, Echo Boomers
• Facebook is for your parents, Tinder dates
• House flippers, Airbnbs, house affordability, renting longer or living with parents
• Job stability, clear goals, annual raises, on-job training and upward career mobility
• Wearables like Fitbit, Dot com Bubble and the rise of Web 2.0, cord-cutting and streaming
• Selfies, narcissistic, pets, EDM, clubbing, LGBTQ, gender fluidity on the rise
• Meritocracy, gender bias/gap and discrimination at work, same gender preference for teams
• Organics, burritos, avocado toast, Sriracha, kombucha tea, coffee and energy drinks over alcohol and soft drinks
• Tattoos, fast fashion, Uber ridesharing, scooters, public libraries, The Kardashians, Survivor and Reality TV
• Environment sustainability, charitable causes, social impact and living with purpose
• Cash and debit cards, PayPal & Venmo mobile payments, automated tellers (ATM machines)
• Obama elected first bi-racial / Black (African American) President of the United States
• September 11, George W Bush and the War on Terror in Iraq, Osama Bin Laden, ISIS in Afghanistan
• Great Recession, 2008-2009 financial crisis, The Flash Crash of 2010 with riots in Greece
• Ukrainian Maidan "Independence" Square, Crimea annexation by Russia, war in Syria

Gen X aka Sideliners (or "Lost/Forgotten Ones") born 1965-1980

• Latchkey kids, Xennials, independent, no adult supervision, divorce rates high, women joining workforce
• Big spenders, consumerism, debit cards, highest personal debt of any generation, Bitcoin, Occupy Wall Street
• Startups, pizza and house parties, malaise, aimless, cynical, apathetic, gay rights, equality
• Pop culture, MTV generation, dance music videos, grunge mosh pits, hip-hop, rebellious, non-conformist
• Blockbuster before Netflix, skateboards, biking to a friends place, going to the store before Amazon
• Slackers, home personal computers (PCs), video games, VHS tapes, early Internet, blogging
• AIDS (“The Gay Plague”) misinformation, death of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, the Rainforest and planting trees
• Oklahoma City bombing, Rodney King murder and Los Angeles riots, OJ Simpson murder trial
• Challenger disaster, Operation Desert Storm Gulf War, Fall of the Berlin Wall

Baby Boomers born 1946-1964

• Rock and Roll, Generation Jones, sexual revolution, birth control pill
• Workaholics, divorce, fast food chains killing off diners, booming economy, capitalism
• Deregulation, self-entitlement, lower taxes, privatization, commercialization
• Black Monday 1987 stock market crash, national debt, less government, fossil fuels
• Infrastructure in decay, outliving retirement funds, decline in pensions and social security
• Summer of Love hippies, Woodstock, the Beatles, John Lennon, Jim Morrison
• Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement
• Vietnam War protests, Nixon Watergate, JFK and Robert Kennedy assassinations
• Traditional media, newspapers, radio, Facebook to connect with their kids
• Cash purchases, credit cards with big limits, prefer banking-in-branch

Silent Generation born 1928-1945

• The Lucky Few, fatalistic, acid trips, jukeboxes, agreeable, grave, midlife crisis, McCarthyism
• American Dream, farmers, higher employment rates, women homemakers, young families
• Korean War, moon landing, space race with Russia, Cold War, Apartheid racial segregation in South Africa

Greatest Generation (or "GI Gen") born 1901-1927

• Nation building, religious, churches, infrastructure, factories and roads
• Education system, suburban middle class, interstate highways connecting cities
• Great Depression, FDR and The New Deal, World War II, Pearl Harbor