Generation Y

Generation Y is the cohort of people born immediately after "Generation X", though the term is itself controversial and is synonymous with several alternative terms including The Net Generation, Millennials, Echo Boomers, iGeneration, Second Baby Boom, and Google generation. Generation Y is generally considered to be the last generation of Americans wholly born in the 20th century. Using the broadest definition commonly cited, Generation Y currently (as of 2006) includes Americans in their mid and early 20s, teenagers and children over the age of 5. At times, the term is extrapolated beyond the United States to refer to similarly aged youth in the Western World or Anglophone World.

As generations are defined not by formal process, but rather by demographers, the press and media, popular culture, market researchers, and by members of the generation themselves, there is no precise consensus as to which birth years constitute Generation Y. Although different groups or individuals consider a different range of years to constitute Generation Y, that range of years is almost always within the outer bounds of 1976 as the earliest possible year and 2001 as the latest. The ongoing debate is in part due to the lack of a single marquee event or events, analogous to the end of World War II for the "Baby Boomer" generation, that can demarcate the start or end of this generation. Some events have been proposed (see below), but there is not yet universal agreement, as is typical of the Baby Boomers. Also, due to the nature of generations as a self-applied label, two individuals of the same birth year can identify with separate generations.

If the years 1978-2000 are used, as is common in market research, then the size of Generation Y in the United States is approximately 76 million"Scenes from the Culture Clash" Fast Company January/February 2006, pp 73-77.. Commonly cited theories as to the best name and year range for Generation Y are mentioned below. The discussion page for the article includes a wide range of viewpoints on this topic.

Controversy: Attempts to Name and Demarcate Generation Y

The term Generation Y first appeared in an August 1993 Ad Age editorial to describe those teenagers born between 1974 -1980. brandchannel: Dr. Pete Markiewicz: Who's filling Gen Y's shoe's? The scope of the term has changed greatly since then, to include, in many cases, anyone born as late as 2001. There is still no precise definition of years.

Use of the term Generation Y (often shortened to Gen Y or Ygen) to describe any cohort of individuals is controversial for a variety of reasons. "Generation Y" alludes to a succession from "Generation X", a term which was originally coined as a pejorative label. The use of Gen Y as a term not only denotes "after Gen X," but also makes a comment on the character of that generation, as in "Generation Why?" which is pejorative in its own way.

Numerous alternative terms have arisen that are generally synonymous with Generation Y. While Generation Y alludes to that cohort's successional relationship to Generation X, the term Echo Boomers is used to allude to the generation's close tie to the primary childbearing years of Baby Boomers; the term Second Baby Boom is also used in this way and to denote the population expansion that Generation Y represents. The terms Millennials and Net Generation are attempts to give the Gen Y cohort more independent names that are tied with key events and cultural trends that are strongly associated with the generation. No single term is the "correct" term to describe members of this generation.

Howe and Strauss: "The Millennials"

Following the publication of their book, Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069, much credit has been given to the names used for various American cohorts by authors William Strauss and Neil Howe. Howe and Strauss use the term "Millennials" as opposed to "Generation Y," arguing that members of Gen Y actually coined the term Millennials themselves and have statistically expressed a wish not to be associated closely with Gen X. They followed up their large study of the history of American demographics with a new book specifically on Gen Y, titled Millennials Rising.

In Generations, Howe and Strauss use the years 1982-2000 as the birth years of Generation Y, using the 18 childhood years of the high school graduating class of 2000 as their marking points. They reasoned that the high school class of 2000 received notable public attention and political initiatives during their youth that provided a contrast between Americans born before this class and those born after. William Strauss and Neil Howe Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069:Perennial; Reprint edition (September 1, 1992)

Net Generation

In his book Growing Up Digital, business strategist and psychologist Don Tapscott coined the term "Net Generation" for the group, pointing at the significance of being the first to grow up immersed in a digital--and Internet--driven world. Accordingly, some say the final year of Gen Y is between 1993 and 2000 because they would be the youngest people to appreciate the changes of the Digital Revolution.

September 11, 2001 Paradigm Shift

Some have argued that September 11, 2001 provides a single marquee event that can be used to demarcate the end of Generation Y, as this date and its events symbolize a major dynamic shift in worldview, or paradigm shift, for most American individuals. The way in which individuals view the significance of this date demographically, however, is not universal. Some argue that September 10, 2001 should be the final date used in labeling children born then or prior as "Generation Y". Others, however, suggest that it is not being born before 9/11, but rather being born early enough to be cognizant of the events of that day, that matters. These people therefore typically argue that some year in the late 1990s, such as 1997, would be the most appropriate ending year for the Generation Y and starting year for the as yet unnamed "Generation Z," or "New Silent Generation"

MTV Generation

Individuals born in the late 1970s and early 1980s, at times identified as an overlap group of both Generation X and Generation Y, are referred to as the MTV Generation. See that article for more information, as well as information on Cold Generation Y.

The moments that defined Generation Y

In attempting to define and characterize generations, demographers often rely on the experience of formative national events as one tool to demarcate various generations. Generations are shaped by their childhood experiences, and then defined by their early-adulthood actions, when each generation can consciously adopt or reject the attitudes or actions of prior generations. Notably, the experience of the Great Depression and World War II are a major way of defining the formative years of the so-called "G.I. Generation," also known at times as the "Greatest Generation." In turn, the experiences of the Moon Landing, assassination of JFK, and the 1960s social revolution are key events that demarcate the formative years of the "Baby Boomer" generation.

Several such events have been used as ways of defining Generation Y.

The Challenger explosion on January 28, 1986 is one major event that separates Generation X and Generation Y, as most members of Generation Y were either not yet born or too young to remember this major national event.

The Chernobyl reactor meltdown in Ukraine, which occurred just after the Challenger disaster on April 26, 1986. The disaster created a large radioactive emergency and led to the evacuation of the town of Chernobyl. Belarus and Ukraine were the two countries to be the most heavily affected by this horrific accident.

The fall of the Soviet Union and the First Gulf War are both midway events for members of Generation Y, occurring in 1991, as many members were old enough to remember these events as children, but many had not yet been born.

The widespread use of personal computers and the Internet is an event shared by the majority of Gen Y. Taking off during the period 1996-2001, most members of this generation spent at least part of their youth with a home computer and internet access, and members of this Generation use the Internet as a tool for socialization more so than previous generations.

The date of the September 11th attacks is an often proposed end-point for the generation. Those that were not yet born in 2001 and those that were otherwise too young to remember and/or understand what occurred on that infamous day (about 1997 up) would thus be grouped into Generation Z or what Cryderman defines as the iGeneration as they would have no memory whatsoever of the 20th Century and any predigital technologies still around in the Nineties. Meanwhile, people who were still in school (or had recently graduated) would be called Generation Y. Such propositions, of course, remain disputed.

Afghanistan and the Iraq War, as well as the construct "War on Terror" may become the war that defines Gen Y akin to World War II for the GI Generation and the Vietnam War for the Baby Boomers.

Generational demographics

Many in Generation Y are the children of Baby Boomers, and the generation is also known as the "Echo (Boom) generation," because it is, in some areas, the largest demographic grouping since the baby boom that immediately followed World War II (the U.S. birth rate per 1,000 population, however, declined for seven consecutive years starting in 1991 — the second longest such streak on record, exceeded only by the eleven-year baby bust of 1958 through 1968). Most parents of the members of Generation Y are from the Baby Boomer or older Silent generations; significantly fewer parents are from Generation X (mostly kids born in 1991 or later). Their grandparents are mostly from the G.I. Generation, with some older Silents. While the echo was much larger than the previous cohorts, the relative size of this generation is much smaller than that of the Baby Boom. The American population was much larger in the 1990s than in the 1950s or '60s. From 1946 to 1964, the U.S. total fertility rate averaged 3.3 — high enough to double the population every two generations. Since around 1980, it has averaged 1.9, which is below the so-called replacement rate, though in recent years it has moved slightly above 2.0. Families continued to get smaller than in previous decades, usually with only one or two children.

Americans Under Age 18
Year	Millions	Percent of Population
1950	47.3	31.1%
1960	64.5	35.7%
1970	69.8	34.0%
1980	63.7	28.0%
1990	64.2	25.7%
1998	69.8	25.9%
2005	~96.4	~32%

The Echo Boom The actual “Echo Boom” was a five year span between 1989 and 1993 when for the first time since 1964, the number of live births reached over four million. It wouldn’t be until 1985 that the live birth number would even match that of 1965 at 3.760 million. Also it should be noted that the birthrate of 1971’s 17.2% has yet to be reached according to the 2000 census. CDC report- Table 1-1. Live Births, Birth Rates, and Fertility Rates, by Race: United States,1909-2000

Relationship with other living generations

Gen Y are primarily children of the Baby Boomers and Gen X cohorts, though some are children of what Howe and Strauss refer to as the Silent Generation or are children of older Gen X adults. Because of this they have a tendency to share social views with the Boomers and culture with Gen X, who serve chiefly as their 'older cousins' or even older siblings.

A notable demographic shift will begin to occur in 2010 when the oldest Baby Boomers (b. 1945) hit the United States' legal retirement age of 65. As boomers retire, more members of Generation X will take roles in middle and upper management and the large membership of Generation Y will take up positions in the lower half of the workforce, a process which could have possibly begun since some definitions have members of Gen Y in their late-20s.

Generation Y, Global Differences

Generation Y in the United States

Most have few memories of the Cold War (apart from perhaps action movies, toys, or video games with such themes) and came of age during the technology-driven changes in the years of President Bill Clinton. They were the first to grow up with the Internet in a developed, prolific form, including music downloads, instant messaging and cellular phones, which came to fruition at about 1997. Even before they could type and mouse-click their way through the Internet, they were the first to grow up with modern media choices: television remotes to encourage channel flipping; cable, with its wealth of channels among which to switch; and multiple TVs (and video recorders) in a household. These TV choices reduced the commonality (and centralized control) of the viewing experience. The 'Who Shot J.R.' (Ewing of the TV series Dallas) experience is dispersed in both place (all the family around the TV, repeated across all households in the timezone) as well as in time (video recorders). Similarly, DVD popularity and large-screen home TVs have dispersed the impact of TV/movie events, and even, with viewer voting shows like American Idol, have become as interactive as the internet, changing generational assumptions about how one interacts with their media environment.

Other major social changes in recent times include immigration and developments in race relations. Characteristically, Generation Y members are generally very tolerant towards multiculturalism and internationalism. It is also not uncommon for post-1970s born children to grow up dating people outside their own race or ethnic group, as well as having a wide range in friends. This growing trend towards interracial relationships is sometimes a source of negative friction between youth and their parents or elders, who grew up in a society where interracial romance was once considered extremely taboo and even banned in a number of states until the late 1960s. The state of Alabama only officially disbanded its anti-miscegenation laws in the year 2000. As well, many people in this group are themselves multiracial in background, and this is also a considerable change from previous generations.

Opinions on Gay rights and gender roles are also being adjusted and redefined as each generation emerges into adulthood. Generation Y is known for having among the most wide-ranging opinions on such issues, possibly because they haven't yet encountered a personal situation where their actions/reactions cause them to consciously choose sides. With Generations X and Y in their child-rearing years, situations related to these topics will become more observable, hence generationally-coherent opinions may become more clear: to adopt or attempt to change then the policies of their Silent and Boomer parents.

This generation was the subject of much concern during the 1990s, though, despite some of its positive features. The Columbine school shooting, youth participation in street gangs, hate groups, and problems such as teen pregnancy fueled a wave of action by schools and other organizations.

The 2004 Presidential election was the first election in which Generation Y was able to vote in significant numbers. John Kerry received 48% of the votes. Notwithstanding, the ratio between young voters voting Democratic or for the incumbent George W. Bush remained relatively stable. The latter may suggest that Gen Y is in fact reflective of American society as a whole rather than a defined independent generation in itself. The latter may instead reflect that 2004 was too early in Gen Y's definitive years; they're still following their parents (or the authority figures learned from their parents; e.g. Party spokesman, the church, the Mainstream Media) and have not yet (and may not ever) claimed their own generational political identity. (Gen X's Soccer Mom and NASCAR dad political sub-identities have only recently become definable labels.)

Generation Y elsewhere

In a strict sense, the term "Generation Y" and its variations can be said to refer only to the United States, but the close cultural connection between the U.S. and other Western countries has led to the term being used to describe any youth culture, even if the emerging generation does not bear any characteristic similarities to the United States version of "Generation Y" besides chronological birth years.

In many rich countries, the 1980s and 1990s were a period of rapidly falling birthrates. In Southern Europe and Japan, and less markedly in Northern and Eastern Europe, Generation Y is dramatically smaller than any of its predecessors, and its childhood years tended to be marked by small families, both immediate and extended, small classes at school and school closures. In the Soviet Union during the 1980s, there was a "baby boom echo" similar to that in the United States, and Generation Y there is relatively large; however, birth rates fell through the floor in the 1990s to extremely low levels. This meant a lot of individual attention from parents in a period in which society was becoming intrinsically more risk averse.

The child poverty rate was still relatively high in many Western countries throughout the 1980s and '90s.

The increasing stratification of wealth in many societies has led to an increase in the societal differences between poor and rich members of this generation. Although many middle class and wealthier families arrange many extra-curricular activities for their children, less affluent families cannot afford such extras, increasing the pressure on their own children. Since much of the generational character is tied to the prevalence of "extracurriculars" and relatively expensive technologies such as computers, some feel that the description of the generation only applies to wealthy members or at least the broadly middle class.

In Eastern Europe, Generation Y is the first generation without mature memories of communism or dictatorial rule. In newly rich countries such as South Korea or Greece, Generation Y has known nothing but developed world standards of living, while their grandparents often grew up in developing world conditions, causing considerable social changes and inter-generational difficulties as the young reject many traditional ways of life. In South Korea the relative innocence to past events of Generation Y may be the cause of the youth's support for the North Korean government over traditional ally the US.

Generation Y was the first generation in countries like India and China to benefit from western modern amenities due to liberalization of their economies.

Generation Y and Popular Culture

For a more extensive overview of music, television, books, movies, and the Internet, see Generation Y culture.

In addition to the passing of major external events, Generations can be identified by internalized cultural experiences shared by members of a Generation. Many definitions of Generation Y span over 20 years, such as 1977-2000. Thus, different sub-cohort's of this generation will remember different cultural experiences and the passing of different fads, crazes, and manias.

Some of the major cultural events that are often associated with Generation Y include:

The Cabbage Patch Kids and Care Bear crazes of the early 1980s.

The New Kids on the Block, Guns N' Roses, Vanilla Ice, and MC Hammer crazes of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The popularity of the Disney Afternoon shows in the early and mid 1990s.

The popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media and merchandise in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The worldwide popularity of The Simpsons.

The game of Pogs during the early 1990s.

Periods of rising popularity for grunge and ska music in the mid 1990s (shared with latter Gen X)

The watching of new wave children's public television shows such as Barney & Friends in the early 1990s.

The popularity of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show.

The rampant interest in Gigapets.

The Tickle Me Elmo craze of 1996, prevalent in the youngest members of Generation Y.

The intense popularity of Furby dolls towards the end of the 1990s, beginning in 1998.

A rise in electronic music with the use of samplers, drum machines, and computers as musical instruments. This lead to the development of such musical genres as techno, house, hip hop, trance, breakbeat, drum and bass, IDM, and many others.

The huge sales of bubblegum pop and boy bands in the late 1990s.

Depending on age within the cohort, the predominant use of one of several popular video game consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo, (all also prevalent among late Generation Xers), followed by Nintendo 64, the Nintendo GameCube, Sony PlayStation and PlayStation 2, and the Microsoft Xbox.

The big Pokémon craze that happened in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The rise in popularity of online journals or Blogs in the early 2000s.

Surging use of Social Networking Websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Friendster.com in the mid 2000s.

The rising use of MP3 players (especially iPod brand) in the early and mid 2000s.

The rise of Hip-Hop Culture

Trends/problems among Generation Y members

As with previous generations, many problems began to surface as Generation Y came of age.

Underage drinking and illicit drug use is still prevalent among high school and college age members of Generation Y. In urban areas, rave culture is becoming known for its influence on ecstasy usage. Marijuana, meth, cocaine, and inhalants seem to be most favored. Drug usage prevails even in spite of most Gen Y members undergoing programs such as D.A.R.E. during childhood. However, statistically, today's teens are less likely to smoke, drink, do illegal drugs, get pregnant, commit a crime, or drop out of school than their counterparts in the 1970s. "Drug Survey of Students Finds Picture Very Mixed" by KATE ZERNIKE, New York Times, 12/20/05}}

The use of legal prescription medications illegally is an emerging trend of Generation Y, including the appearance of "Pharming parties" where youths trade, share, and try each other's prescription medications. Time Magazine, August 1, 2005.

Generation Y is one of the most medicated generations in human history, with many Generation Yers prescribed antidepressants and other behavior-altering drugs like Ritalin, which has existed since the 1950s but was seldom prescribed before the early 1990s based on the relative lack of brain knowledge prior to the 1990s, the "Decade of the Brain." It is interesting to note that Generation Y is more depressed and world aware (via the Internet) than any generation previous, which has led the Generation gaining a stereotype as the "sad generation."

Childhood obesity is another health problem that has plagued Generation Y and X before them. In response, many local school boards have started to remove junk food from school cafeterias in an effort to reverse this trend.

As members of Generation Y in the United States begin to enter colleges and universities in large numbers, some of their Baby Boomer parents are becoming helicopter parents. Many college advisors and administrators worry that this could have a negative effect on Generation Y's social progress, ego, and developing maturity.The Wall Street Journal, 7/28/05.

Generation Y is the first generation that had to deal with the AIDS epidemic during childhood. Some members of Generation Y were born to parents that had AIDS, some being orphaned by the illness, others contracting the disease from the mother. At the same time, later members coming of age after the pharmaceutical advances of the 1990s downgraded AIDS from inevitably fatal to chronic but treatable may have little sense of the disease's former weight in the public consciousness. The effect of this distinction is most dramatic in homosexual subcultures, where the disease significantly reshaped lives, practices, and institutions in the 1980s and 1990s.

Generation Y Famous People and Cultural Contributors

Firsts

Technology

This generation was the first generation to use or witness the following technology from an early age:

The Internet, especially the World Wide Web, in a more prolific form for the general user ('consumer'-friendly) rather than technically oriented. (about 1995 onwards)
PCs with modern operating systems and mouse-based point-and-click GUIs, requiring fewer keyboard skills. (late 1980's and onwards)
Sophisticated computer graphics in many video games, animated movies and television shows. (late 80's to mid 90's) (and the related non-keyboard interfaces)
Cellular phones. (mid '90s and onwards)
Instant messaging. (late '90s)
DVDs (1997 and onwards)
Digital Audio Players (MP3 players), especially Apple Computer iPods (1998 and onwards)
Tivo and other such DVR devices. (1999 and onwards)
HDTV (1999 and onwards)
Broadband Internet (1999 and onwards)
Digital Cameras (late '90s)
Standardized testing

Culture

These are the events that this generation experienced while coming of age:

The demise of the Berlin Wall
The Tiananmen Square Incident
The Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California in 1989 and 1994 respectively.
The Gulf War.
Waco, TX Seige involving David Koresh
Elián González controversy
The end of Apartheid in South Africa
Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Rodney King and the 1992 Los Angeles Riots.
The O.J. Simpson murder trial.
The Oklahoma City Bombing.
The return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China
The death of Princess Diana
Great economic prosperity in the 1990s buoyed by the Dot-com bubble; the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaks 10,000 for the first time
War in Bosnia and Kosovo
The Lewinsky scandal surrounding former President Clinton
Columbine High School massacre
Woodstock '99
Harry Potter
The Y2K bug.
The 2000 U.S. Presidential Election dispute between Al Gore and George W. Bush.
The September 11th Terrorist Attacks
The Patriot Act, The Department of Homeland Security, and other methods which instilled increased national security in the wake of 9/11
The 2001 Anthrax attacks
The global War on Terror
The Beltway Sniper shootings
The War in Iraq
The Darfur Conflict
The West Nile Virus outbreak
The SARS epidemic in Spring 2003.
The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster.
Six major hurricanes that would hit Florida in two years: Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan, Hurricane Jeanne, Hurricane Dennis, and Hurricane Wilma.
The events surrounding Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Rita mass exodus in Houston, Texas in September 2005, which became the largest evacuation in American history.
The onset of Bird flu.
The post-Soviet crash of the Russian economy

References

External links

Film

"The Unidentified: Being part of Generation Y"

Foreign

Generation Y: Understanding the Future Leaders of the World’s Next Superpower" Michael Stanat
"A new switched-on and cynical generation"Peter West - Monday, 12 December 2005

Generational Succession

* NOTE: These years are estimates only based on the sources referenced above, the exact year ranges of the generations are debated, different sources state different start and end dates.

** NOTE: The term New Silent Generation is a placeholding name used by demographers Neil Howe and William Strauss to describe the generation born after Generation Y. It is in no way a widely accepted or official name for that generation.

1980s births | American generations | Social groups

Génération Y | ジェネレーションY | Y nesli | Y世代

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