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Generation X, Y and Z

April 5, 2016


Generation X
The term Generation X was coined by the photographer called Capa in the early 1950s. He used it later as a title for a photo-essay about young men and women growing up immediately after the Second World War. Describing his intention, Capa said “We named this unknown generation, The Generation X, and even in our first enthusiasm we realized that we had something far bigger than our talents and pockets could cope with.”

They were born from 1965 to 1980, after the Western Post-World War II baby boom, therefore from the early 60’s until the 80’s.They are currently 41 million. This is the first generation exposed to a lot of divorce and daycare too. They are known as the “lost” generation. They have the lowest voting participation and are arguably the best educated generation. Moreover, with that education and a growing maturity they are starting to form families with a higher level of caution and pragmatism than their parents demonstrated. This generation is based on change: the fight against corruption, dictatorships, abuse, AIDS. They are in search of human dignity and individual freedom with human rights for all. It concerns also some kids who grew up without a parent around and financial planning. Furthermore, they are connected to the pop culture of the 1980s and 1990s they grew up in. This generation needs love, tolerance,…

Generation Y, Echo Boomers or Millenniums

They were approximately born from 1980 to 1995 (it starts with the 1980s and it ends in the middle of the 1990s). They are currently 71 million. It is the largest cohort since the Baby Boomers. They are called Generation Y because of the shape of earphones. These kids are known as incredibly sophisticated, technology wise, immune to most traditional marketing and sales pitches, etc as they have been  exposed to it all since early childhood. Moreover, they grew up with many world-changing events including the rise of mass communication and the Internet. They are prone to using media in everyday life. This generation was often raised in dual income or single parent families and have been more involved in family purchases, everything from groceries to new cars. One in nine Gen Y kids has a credit card co-signed by a parent. However, the term didn’t age well, and “Millenniums” has largely overtaken it. Nevertheless, the terms basically mean the same thing.

Generation Z
They were approximately born from 1995 to 2012. They are about 23million. They grew up with computers, Internet. Generation Z is the first to overwhelmingly approve of same-sex marriage in their adolescence. Generation Z is generally more risk-adverse in certain activities than the Millennials. In 2013, 66% of teenagers (older members of Generation Z) had tried alcohol, down from 82% in 1991. Also in 2013, 8% of Gen. Z teenagers never or rarely wear a seat-belt when riding in a car with someone else, as opposed to 26% in 1991. Also, they have less faith in the American Dream, they expect to find a job that will represent their identity and they are afraid of being unemployed later because they have seen their parents struggle in the workforce. They are more likely to have several jobs when they grow up than one stable job. Besides, they also grow up with terrorism, they feel insecure in the environment they are growing in. They are the first kids to have social media. They all get a phone at an early age and it is normal, this technology has strongly influenced them. On the one hand, smart phones offer the potential for deeper involvement in learning and more individualized instruction, thereby making this generation potentially better educated and more well-rounded. On the other hand, researchers and parents fear that the prevalence of smart phones will cause technology dependence and a lack of self-regulation that will hinder child development. They share a lot of things with their peers; however they do know how to protect certain information they don’t want to share. They also grow with the idea of being perfect.


This article is based on an American survey and Americans’ research.


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