THE MILLENNIAL
GENERATION
Dr. Randy Lumpp
(Based on the book Millennials Rising by Neil Howe
& William Strauss)
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What’s a “generation”?
• A social cohort shaped by common
experience and common persona
• Born over a period roughly the same as the
passage from youth to adulthood (c. 20
years)
• Shares perceived membership, common
beliefs and behaviors, common location in
history
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WHAT ARE RECENT
GENERATIONS?
• LOST
1883-1900
• G.I
1901-1924
• SILENT
1925-1942
• BOOM
1943-1960
• X
1961-1981
• MILLENNIAL
1982-2002
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WHAT DEFINES A NEW
GENERATION?
• Solves a problem facing the prior youth
generation
• Corrects for behavioral excesses it
perceives in the current midlife
generation
• Fills the social role being vacated by the
departing elder generation
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WHAT’S THE “LIFE-CYCLE”
OF A GENERATION?
• Public discovers the new youth (15-20 years
after first birth year)
• Full possession of youth culture (20-25 years)
• Gets maximum public attention (25-30 years)
• Ebbing of public interest (30-35 years)
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WHO ARE THE
MILLENNIALS?
• High school grads of 2000
• Older parents
• Smaller families
• 40% firstborns
• More educated parents
• Slowly stabilizing family patterns
• More diverse culturally/immigrant parents
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Millennials’ Experience:
Greater Numbers
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More Money
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Greater Diversity
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Greater Safety
Which Security Measures Do You Favor?
• Metal detectors in schools: 86%
• Regulating violent video games & TV
shows: 69%
• Restricting violence in movies & on CDs:
59%
--survey of adults and teens, in USA Weekend
(July 4, 1999)
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Changing families
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Health expectations
Death Rate per 10,000 U.S. Births:
•
For Mothers:
•
For infants:
1946
1996
16
1
338
72
--U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (1999)
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No place to hide
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Stress on health/well-being
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Attention to health issues
Child Immunization Rate (full series)
1992: 55%
1996: 75%
-- Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and
Human Services (April 10, 1999)
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More educated parents
Percent of College Freshman Having…
1973
1998
Mother with college
Degree or higher
20%
41%
32%
44%
Father with college
Degree or higher
--The American Freshman, UCLA (1997-98)
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Not like the Boomers
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Managing the Bills
Which “Bill” might you pick as godfather for
your child?
Bill Cosby
76%
Bill Murray
11%
Bill Gates
10%
Bill Clinton
1%
--”Mom and Pop Culture Survey,” Child (April 1999)
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Generations compared
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Generational Events
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Tracking the Boomers
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Famous Generational Figures
Generation
Birth Years
Famous Man
Lost
1883-1900
Harry Truman
Mae West
G.I.
1901-1924
Ronald Reagan
Ann Landers
Silent
1925-1942
M.L. King
S. Day O’Connor
Boom
1943-1960
George Bush
Hillary Clinton
X
1961-1981
Michael Jordan
Courtney Love
Millennial
1982-2002
Zac Hanson
Tara Lipinski
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Famous Woman
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Different Environments
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Different approaches
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Who’s in charge here?
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The changing youth agenda
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Find out more
• Howe, Neil and William Strauss.
Millennials Rising: The Next Great
Generation. New York: Vintage
Books, 2000
• Millennialsrising.com
• Other resources @amazon.com
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