The Truth Behind the Stereotypes Attributed to Each Generation

We’ve all heard the stereotypes associated with each generation: baby boomers are ultra-rich but unreasonable, millennials are lazy and entitled, and Gen Z… use their phones too much. 

Are these notions rooted in reality, or are they mere speculations? Dr. Alexis, an expert in “Generational Cohorts”, says that generations are attributed so due to the environment of individuals born and raised during those specific time periods.  

To test this, we’ve created a survey targeting the Middle Eastern population, in the hopes of quantifying the degree of truth behind popular generational differences. We ask the participants their age and country of origin. Individuals born from 1946-1954 fall into the Boomer I category, while those born from 1955-1964 fall into the Boomer II category. They are collectively known as Baby Boomers, to signify the increase in birth rates after World War II. Gen X is the next category, comprising individuals born from 1965-1980, while Millennials are born from 1981-1996. Last to be included in the survey are the Gen Z, who are born from 1997-2012. 

Next, on a scale of 1-6, we ask them to rank the importance of education, career, health, family, finances, and personal goals in their lives. Research suggests that while the economic boom was parallel to the era of Boomers joining workforces, Boomers are more interested in maintaining familial ties, and securing finances for a hefty retirement, instead of excessive career advancements. This is a contrast to millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize promotions and bonuses at work, a good education to support a successful career, and fulfilling personal goals. 

We asked the participants to rank on a scale of 1-5 the importance of managerial success, executive position, owning a business, becoming an expert, or earning rewards and recognition in their professional lives. On average, Boomers prefer to obtain positions of power at workplaces, and being an executive at the top level or a manager is one of the big end goals during their career, while Millennials and Gen Z prefer personal accomplishments, like owning businesses, achieving awards, and being known as experts. 

Participants were asked to choose if they preferred socializing face-to-face or virtually. Generally, the older generations prefer communication in person, while the newer generations are more comfortable with virtual communications, having grown up with technology their whole lives.  

Other questions in the survey asked the participants about their interest in popular hobbies, favorite social media platforms, daily screen time, types of gadgets they own, interest in popular tech brands, online shopping ventures, and fast-food restaurants.  

The survey is designed to capture all facets of the participants’ daily life, to determine and quantify their interests, and affinity for certain aspects integral to living in the modern world. Based on the answers, we can establish that each generation does have characteristics totally endemic to them, which might create a disconnect between how they move and function in various social settings compared to the younger generation. A big component is technology and how widespread and entrenched the culture is around it, and we are now entering an era where children will have grown up never knowing life without the internet.  

This article was previously published on UAE Moments.To see the original article, click here