Millennials 1

THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION

Dr. Randy Lumpp

(Based on the book Millennials Rising by Neil Howe & William Strauss)

Millennials 2

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

Millennials 3

WHAT ARE RECENT GENERATIONS?

• LOST 1883-1900

• G.I 1901-1924

• SILENT 1925-1942

• BOOM 1943-1960

• X 1961-1981

• MILLENNIAL 1982-2002

Millennials 4

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

Millennials 5

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)

Millennials 6

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

Millennials 7

Millennials’ Experience: Greater Numbers

Millennials 8

More Money

Millennials 9

Greater Diversity

Millennials 10

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)

Millennials 11

Changing families

Millennials 12

Health expectations

Death Rate per 10,000 U.S. Births:

1946 1996

• For Mothers: 16 1

• For infants: 338 72

--U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (1999)

Millennials 13

No place to hide

Millennials 14

Stress on health/well-being

Millennials 15

Attention to health issues

Child Immunization Rate (full series)

1992: 55%

1996: 75%

-- Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and

Human Services (April 10, 1999)

Millennials 16

More educated parents

Percent of College Freshman Having…

1973 1998

Mother with college

Degree or higher 20% 41%

Father with college

Degree or higher 32% 44%

--The American Freshman, UCLA (1997-98)

Millennials 17

Not like the Boomers

Millennials 18

Millennials 19

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)

Millennials 20

Generations compared

Millennials 21

Generational Events

Millennials 22

Tracking the Boomers

Millennials 23

Famous Generational Figures

Generation Birth Years Famous Man Famous Woman

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

Millennials 24

Different Environments

Millennials 25

Different approaches

Millennials 26

Who’s in charge here?

Millennials 27

The changing youth agenda

Millennials 28

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