Unique Experiences Shape Generational Differences

Which of the following telephones do you most use, or remember using as a youth?

Party-line telephone
Land-line telephone
"The brick"—the first cell phone
Flip cell phones
Text messaging

Your answer depends on your age or, more specifically, your generation. While telephones may seem trivial, the fact is that all the experiences, ideas, technology, and values shared by people of different generations makes each look at the world, and define what they want and expect out of life, differently.

Generations are defined by common experiences during their youth that changed their world view or the way they lived as a society. Defining or influential events, by generation, include:

Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1945)

World War II
The Great Depression

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)

Vietnam War
Civil rights movement
Women's rights movement
Assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Advent of rock and roll

Generation X (born between 1965 and 1976)

Dual earning parents
High divorce rate of parents
Parents' job loss from layoffs
Grunge rock
Poor economy of the 1980s

Millennials (born between 1977 and 1994)

Prosperous economy
Very involved parents
September 11, 2001

So how are these generations different? The chart below lists some general characteristics of each generation's members.

The Research Service is in the final phases of completing a study of Generation X and Millennial parents. Look for results of the survey, and ideas for your council to use when recruiting youth and volunteers from these generations, in ProSpeak during 2007.

	Silent Generation 1925-1945	Baby Boomers 1946-1964	Generation X 1965-1976	Millennial 1977-1994
Generation size	49,000,000	79,000,000	49,000,000	75,000,000
Growing up	Many rules Pressure to conform	Fewer rules Nurturing environment Stay-at-home moms	Latchkey children Increasing day care use	Attended day care Parents very involved in their life
Economy	Prosperity has increased over their lifetime. They remember the Depression.	Have lived during generally prosperous times	Began entering the workforce during the '80s' economic downturn Prosperity during the '90s	Prosperity has increased over their lifetime.
Employment	Expected stability and lifelong employment Single earners	Women entered the workforce in record numbers. Dual earners	Look for a job they enjoy Will leave for a better job Do not expect lifelong employment	Just entering the workforce Most are mission-driven.
Average age at first marriage	Men, 23 Women, 20	Men, 23.5 Women, 21.1	Men, 26.5 Women, 24.4	N/A
View on children	Should be seen and not heard	Should be nurtured Want to spend quality time	Should be a friend Want to spend quantity time	N/A
Personal communications	In writing	Telephone	E-mail	Instant and text messaging
Defining ideas	Duty	Individuality	Diversity	Optimism

The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local councils, developed by the Marketing & Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of America.