Mike and Morley

As is often the case, the members of older generations make the mistakes of, on the one hand, believing that all generations develop in pretty much the same way and of being critical of younger generations when, in fact, they are different from their own. This has caused many older Americans to have misperceptions of the attitudes and behaviors of the Millennial Generation. Because we are asked frequently to deal with these misperceptions, here are of the 10 most common myths about the Millennial Generation:

1. Young people think and behave the same at all times. One generation is just... Read more

When does one generation end and another begin? Who gets to decide? As important as these questions are to the validity of the theory of generational cycles, the answers aren’t simple. The co-authors of Generations, the book that founded generational theory, William Strauss and Neil Howe, defined generations as:

The aggregate of all people born over about 21 years who share:

• A Common Location in History,
• A Common Set of Beliefs and Behaviors , and
• A Perception that they are Members of a Generation in Common with Others

Strauss and Howe chose twenty-one years as the approximate... Read more

What will American families be like in the Millennial era? 

Millennials (young Americans born from 1982-2003) are now beginning to marry and form their own families—or at least thinking about it. What will American families be like in the Millennial era? If history and generational theory provide any guide, Millennial families will be very different from the Baby Boomer and Generation X-parented families of the past four or five decades.

Social scientists define a generation as the aggregate of all people born over about a twenty-year period in a demographic group. Together those who comprise a generation share a common location in... Read more

The largest in American history.  There are now 95 million living Millennials, 10 million more than Baby Boomers and twice as many as Generation X.

The most ethnically diverse in American history.  Four-in-ten Millennials are non-white—African-American, Asian, Hispanic, or of mixed race. One-in-five have at least one immigrant parent. Among Millennials under 18, nearly half are non-white.

The most tolerant in American history.  Over 90% of Millennials believe interracial dating is acceptable and only a quarter believes that immigration levels should be decreased. More than eight-in-ten Millennials rejection the contention that women should return to... Read more