2017512 MostMillennialsResisttheMillennialLabel|PewResearchCenter

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U.S.Politics&Policy

M ENU RE SE A RCH A RE A S

S EP TEM B ER 3,2015

MostMillennialsResisttheMillennialLabel
GenerationinaMirror:HowTheeeThemelve

Millennialswillsoonbecome(http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2015/01/16/thisyearmillennialswillovertakebaby
boomers/)thenationslargestlivinggeneration.TheyalreadyhavesurpassedGenerationXtomakeupthelargestshare
(http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2015/05/11/millennialssurpassgenxersasthelargestgenerationinuslaborforce/)
oftheU.S.workforce.

(http://www.peoplepress.org/2015/09/03/mostmillennialsresistthemillenniallabel/922015_01/)

DespitethesizeandinfluenceoftheMillennialgeneration,however,mostofthoseinthisagecohortdonotidentify
withthetermMillennial.Just40%ofadultsages18to34considerthemselvespartoftheMillennialgeneration,
whileanother33%mostlyolderMillennialsconsiderthemselvespartofthenextoldercohort,GenerationX.

GenerationalidentityisstrongestamongtheBoomers:79%ofthose51to69considerthemselvespartoftheBaby
Boomgeneration.Amongthose35to50(theagerangeforGenX),58%considerthemselvespartofGenerationX.

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2017512 MostMillennialsResisttheMillennialLabel|PewResearchCenter

TheoldestcohortofAmericansisbyfartheleastlikelytoembraceagenerationallabel.Just18%ofthoseages70to87
(theagerangeoftheSilentGeneration)actuallyseethemselvesaspartoftheSilentGeneration.FarmoreSilents
considerthemselvespartofadjoininggenerations,eitherBoomers(34%)ortheGreatestGeneration(also34%).

ThenationalsurveybythePewResearchCenterwasconductedMarch10April6with3,147adultswhoarepartofthe
AmericanTrendsPanel(http://www.pewresearch.org/facttank/2014/06/12/howpewresearchconductedthepolarization
surveyandlaunchedanewresearchpanel/),anationallyrepresentativesampleofrandomlyselectedU.S.adultssurveyed
onlineandbymail.Respondentsweregivenfivecommonlyusedtermsforgenerations,includingtheGreatest
Generation,andaskedwhethertheyconsideredthemselvespartofthesegenerations.

(http://www.peoplepress.org/2015/09/03/mostmillennialsresistthemillenniallabel/922015_02/)Thesurveyfindsthat
somegenerationalnamesparticularlyBoomersaremorewidelyrecognizedthanothers.Amongallrespondents,
fully89%saytheyhaveheardoftheBabyBoomgeneration,while71%haveheardofGenX.Amajority(56%)haveheard

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2017512 MostMillennialsResisttheMillennialLabel|PewResearchCenter

oftheMillennialgeneration,butjust15%ofallrespondents(includingonly27%ofSilents)haveheardoftheSilent
Generation.

Thesurveyalsoaskedifanumberofdescriptionsappliedtothepeopleoftheirgeneration.Silentsarefarmorelikely
thanpeopleinyoungeragecohortstoviewtheirowngenerationinapositivelight.LargemajoritiesofSilentssaythe
peopleoftheirgenerationarehardworking(83%),responsible(78%),patriotic(73%),selfreliant(65%),moral(64%),
willingtosacrifice(61%)andcompassionate(60%).

Boomersalsotendtohavefavorableimpressionsoftheirgeneration,thoughinmostcasestheyarenotaspositiveas
Silents.Bycontrast,GenXersandMillennialsarefarmoreskepticalinassessingthestrengthsoftheirgenerations.
AndMillennials,inparticular,standoutintheirwillingnesstoascribenegativestereotypestotheirowngeneration:
59%saythetermselfabsorbeddescribestheirgeneration,comparedwith30%amongGenXers,20%ofBoomersand
just7%ofSilents.

Tobesure,someofthesedifferencesmayberelatedmoretoageandlifestagethantotheuniquecharacteristicsof
todaysgenerations.Responsibilitiestendtoincreasewithage.Asaresult,itispossiblethat,inanyera,olderpeople
wouldbemorelikelythanyoungerpeopletoviewtheirgenerationasresponsible.Inaddition,differencesbetweenold
andyounginsuchrealmsaspatriotism(http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2014/03/07/millennialsinadulthood/),religiosity
(http://www.pewforum.org/2012/10/09/nonesontherise/)andpoliticalactivismhavebeenevidentformanyyears.(See
thisexplainerreport(http://www.peoplepress.org/2015/09/03/thewhysandhowsofgenerationsresearch)formoreonour
approachtostudyinggenerations.)

Onseveralmeasuresincludinghardwork,responsibility,willingnesstosacrifice,andselfreliancetheshareineach
generationexpressingpositiveviewsdeclinesstepwiseacrossagecohorts,fromtheoldesttotheyoungest.

Forexample,83%ofSilentsdescribethepeopleoftheirgenerationashardworking,asdo(77%)ofBoomers.Anarrow
majorityofGenXers(54%)saypeopleoftheirgenerationarehardworking,while36%ofMillennialssaythatphrase
describespeopleintheircohort.

Thesurveyincludes18descriptionsamixofpositive,negativeandneutralterms.Onsometerms,suchas
environmentallyconscious,entrepreneurialandrigid,therearenosignificantdifferencesacrosscohortsintheshares
sayingeachapplies.

ThereisonlyonedescriptionidealisticonwhichagenerationotherthantheSilentsviewsitselfmostpositively:
SomewhatmoreMillennials(39%)thanGenXers(28%),Boomers(31%)orSilents(26%)describetheirgenerationas
idealistic.

GenerationalIdentity

Generationalnamesarelargelythecreationsofsocialscientistsandmarketresearchers.Theageboundariesofthese
widelyusedlabelsaresomewhatvariableandsubjective,soperhapsitisnotsurprisingthatmanyAmericansdonot
identifywiththeirgeneration.

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(http://www.peoplepress.org/2015/09/03/mostmillennialsresistthemillenniallabel/922015_03/)YettheBoomerlabel
resonatesstronglywiththemembersofthisgenerationthenamearosefromthefertilityspikethatbeganshortlyafter
WorldWarIIandcontinuedthroughtheearly1960s.Fully79%ofthosebornbetween1946and1964,thewidelyused
agerangeofthisgeneration,identifyasBoomers.Thatisbyfarthestrongestidentificationwithagenerationalnameof
anycohort.

TheMillennialgenerationalsoencompassesabroadspanofadults(currentlythosebornfrom1981to1997).Butjust
40%ofthoseinthiscohortconsiderthemselvesMillennials,whileasmanyasathird(33%)saytheybelongtoGenX.
AmongolderMillennials(ages27to34),43%considerthemselvesGenXers,while35%identifyasMillennials.Yet
evenamongyoungerMillennials(ages18to26),fewerthanhalf(45%)considerthemselvespartofthisgeneration.

Mostadults(58%)bornbetween1965and1980,thebirthyearsofGenX,identifywiththeirgeneration.Notably,
relativelyfewGenXers(just4%)identifyasMillennials,but15%considerthemselvesBoomers.AmongyoungerGen
Xers(ages35t042),68%identifywithGenXamongolderGenXers,fewer(48%)seethemselvesaspartofthis
generation,while24%identifyasBoomers.

Just18%ofthoseintheSilentGeneration(born1928to1945)considerthemselvespartofthisgeneration.Inpart,this
reflectsthelowvisibilityofthetermSilentGeneration,thoughithasbeeninuseformorethanhalfacentury.In
coiningthenamein1951,TimemagazinedescribedtheSilentsasworkingfairlyhardandsayingalmostnothing.

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(http://www.peoplepress.org/2015/09/03/mostmillennialsresistthemillenniallabel/922015_04/)MostSilentsidentify
witheithertheGreatestGenerationpeoplebornbefore1928orasBoomers.OlderSilents(age80to87)tendtosee
themselvesaspartoftheGreatestGeneration51%saytheyarepartofthatcohort.AmongyoungerSilents(70to79),
closetohalf(45%)identifyasBoomers.

Asidefrombeingaskedabouttheirgenerationalidentity,respondentsalsowereaskedhowwelleachgenerationalterm
applies.Inthiscase,thedifferencesbetweenBoomersandtheotherthreegenerationsareevenstarker.Seveninten
Boomers(70%)saythetermBabyBoomgenerationappliestothemverywell(31%)orfairlywell(39%).Amongother
generations,nomorethanaboutfourinten(38%ofGenX)saytheirgenerationallabelisagoodfit.

GenerationalTraits:Negative,Positive,Neutral

Aswithmanypositivegenerationaldescriptions,therealsoarewidedifferencesoverwhethernegativetermsapply.
Millennialsarefarmorelikelythanoldergenerationstosaythetermsselfabsorbed,wasteful,andgreedyapplyto
peopleintheiragecohort.

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