Millennials are the most educated generation ever. This trend is likely due to higher income returns from a college education, as well as many young people choosing to wait out the recession and lack of jobs by staying in or returning to school.
Gen Z is also the smartest and best educated generation. Having an unlimited wealth of information at our disposal has not gone to waste. In America, 57 percent of Gen Z is reported to have enrolled in a two-year or four-year college, compared to 52 percent of Millenials and 43 percent of Gen X.
It appears Gen Z will become the most educated generation, with higher graduation rates from high school. With lower high school dropout rates, this marks a positive shift.
Generational Power: Political
In addition to holding the most Economic Power in the GPI, Baby Boomers also rank number one when it comes to Political Power. Boomers capture 47.4% of political influence. This generation accounts for 32% of all U.S. voters, and holds the majority of federal and state positions.
A CM Group consumer research effort that polled 1,000 consumers found Gen Z consumers are better educated, more practical, more ambitious and more skeptical than Millennials.
The youngest generation in the workforce is also more likely to play conservative with their paychecks right now, with Gen Z most likely to put in longer hours or work harder. Nearly a third are also considering taking a second job or a more stable gig in the face of potential recession layoffs.
Educated and empathetic. The pair say Gen Z is also the "most educated", "empathetic" and "politically aware" generation, as well as being the most diverse. "They're so accepting of different groups and I think that will have a significant impact both culturally and politically," Christensen says.
Silent Generation billionaires are the wealthiest on average across generations. With CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett and Zara founder Amancio Ortega among its ranks, Silent Generation billionaires are most likely to be in finance, fashion, and real estate industries.
As a result, more millennials than ever report being happy. That's especially true compared to the Baby Boomers, which the Pew Research Center labeled the “gloomy” generation. Baby Boomers tended to rate their overall quality of life much lower than non-boomers.
One-third (32%) of Gen Z respondents say they are the hardest-working generation ever, with Millennials ranked as the second-hardest working generation at 25%. More than half (56%) say the Silent Generation is the least hardworking generation of all time.
Generation Alpha is considered to be the most technological-infused demographic up-to-date. Alphas seem to know and understand complex ideas and able to do things that are well beyond their age.
While 83 percent of people born between 1928 and 1945 (dubbed “the Silent Generation”) were married by age 37, researchers predict that Gen Z - born between 1997 and 2012 - are marrying far less.
They prefer their jobs to be stable touchstones they can rely on — but still, they want it to be on their own terms. Stubborn independence — Despite wanting stability, the iGeneration, like their millennial predecessors, are practical.
Recent surveys show that Millennials place a higher priority on health and wellness than any other generation, including the oldest Americans, and the importance that Millennials give to a healthy lifestyle has increased more dramatically than other generations over the past decade.
Gen Z is known for being resourceful, independent learners who value diversity and inclusive culture and place a priority on well-being and mental health in the workplace. They are fiscally conservative with a keen focus on investing and income. Gen Z values justice and equity.
As the kids would say, it's pretty cringe. That's a Gen-Z term that essentially means the same thing as cringey. A silly slang term, but then, each generation comes up with such words. If you're Extremely Online, like I am, then you are probably familiar with the Zoomer dialect.
Generation X
Gen X is often branded as being cynical, yet they have the highest rate of loyalty of any of the generations discussed here. They're less interested in trying new brands than other generations and instead prefer to stick with those they already know and trust.
The Silent Generation, also known as the Traditionalist Generation, is the Western demographic cohort following the Greatest Generation and preceding the Baby Boomers. The Silent Generation is generally defined as people born from 1928 to 1945.
Boomers Prefer Retail Shopping More Than Any Other Generation. 44% of Boomers have discovered new products in retail stores in the past three months, and 38% of them say that's where they find new items most often.
In its latter years, this generation was introduced to continued technological advancements such as mobile phones and the internet. As of 2019, approximately 389,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II remain alive. Living members of this generation are either in their 90s or are centenarians.
According to data on 77.4 million Credit Karma members, members of Generation X (ages 42-57) carry the highest average total debt — $60,063.
Gen Z Terms and Definitions
Pew Research recently defined Gen Z as anyone born 1997 onwards. Gen Z grew up with technology, the internet, and social media, which sometimes causes them to be stereotyped as tech-addicted, anti-social, or “social justice warriors.”
Gen Z's awareness and approach to mental health can have a positive influence on their parenting by allowing them to be emotionally healthy and drivers of open communication. It can also help shape a future generation that will understand, accept, and seek to treat their own mental health issues.