Jean M. Twenge, Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future (affiliate link). New York: Simon and Schuster, 2023. 554 pages.
This book is dense, but it is well written and contains plenty of interesting information. The author, Jean M. Twenge, notes that six generations are currently active in North America: Silents (1925-1945), Boomers (1945-1964), Gen X (1965-1979), Millennials (1980-1994), Gen Z (1995-2012), and Polars/Alphas (2013-?) (2). She claims that each generation behaves differently. Whenever a new generation rises into dominance as adults, the effect on culture and society is immense. Businesses, governments, and churches should be aware of each generation’s characteristics.
Twenge notes that “The breakneck speed of cultural change means that growing up today is a completely different experience from growing up in the 1950s or the 1980s—or even the 2000s” (2). Her thesis is that “The era when you were born has a substantial influence on your behaviors, attitudes, values, and personality traits. In fact, when you were born has a larger effect on your personality and attitudes than the family who raised you does” (2).
Twenge offers various thoughts on what makes each generation different. Traditional theories have pointed to major events—the Great Depression, 9/11—that shaped each generation (5). Other theories promote a fourfold pattern of idealist, reactive, civic, and adaptive generations (18). Twenge argues that a major influence on generations is technology. The pervasive use of the TV and the massive adoption of the smartphone exerted enormous influence on particular generations. Twenge adds two other major “intervening causes”: individualism and a slower life trajectory (8). She references these factors throughout her book.
The book is divided into sections, with each one addressing a particular generation. She includes far too much information to summarize here, so I’ll just highlight a few important points.
The Silents are the oldest living generation. They were born between 1925 and 1944. My parents belonged to this generation. President Biden was the only Silent elected president. They are called Silent in part because they were sandwiched between The Greatest Generation and the enormous Boomer generation. One aspect of the Silent Generation is that, because there were fewer of them, they had greater opportunities. They experienced less competition for jobs or house purchases. Silents also came of age during the largest economic expansion in American history (69).
Although the Boomers are usually associated with many of the civil rights advances, Silents led many of the early movements (33). Martin Luther King Jr, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Nancy Pelosi are Silents. They were the “most marrying” generation of the six (55). They also divorced at almost twice the rate of the Greatest Generation. Most Silent teens did not graduate from high school (56). Silents are less cynical than later generations (62).
Twenge quotes the saying, “If you are not a liberal at 25, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 35, you have no brain” (62). As the oldest living generation, they are largely Republicans and conservatives. Interestingly, in the 1970s, 64% of conservatives were Republicans. In 2000, 78% of conservatives voted Republican. Between 2010 and 2020, that number rose to 88% (65).
Boomers were born between 1945 (the end of WWII) and 1964. The TV came into widespread use while they were growing up. They were such a massive demographic that they were catered to their entire lives. When they were young, the toy industry boomed. As teenagers, marketers bombarded them with trendy products. As they began to retire, retirement villages, vacation homes, and senior devices were promoted.
Boomers were greatly impacted by the Vietnam War. The Greatest Generation dutifully supported the government and the latest war. Their children, the Boomers, questioned those decisions. Their mantra was, “Don’t trust anyone over 30” (80). Unlike the more stoic Silents and Greatest Generation, Boomers were heavily influenced by individualism and became much more self-focused.
Boomers flaunted many social restrictions, such as having sex before marriage or drug use (89). By 2020, Boomers divorced at twice the rates Silents did. Millennials would react to the high divorce rate by trying not to repeat their parents’ mistakes.
Boomers used alcohol and drugs to a greater degree than did previous generations. Interestingly, as Boomers aged, drug and alcohol use increased in older age groups. Legalizing marijuana occurred while Boomers dominated government.
Campus protests started occurring once Boomers entered college (119). Interestingly, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Donald Trump were all born within three months of each other in the summer of 1946 (120). By 1980, Boomers made up the critical mass of the electorate (123). By 2020, Boomers were voting at a 76% rate, the highest of any of the generations (123). Most Boomers eventually began to vote Republican, even as younger generations leaned Democrat (127).
Interestingly, Twenge notes that “For their entire life cycle, Boomers have been less happy, have had more days of poor mental health, were more likely to suffer from mental distress, and were more likely to be depressed than Silents at the same age” (130).
Under Boomers, suicide skyrocketed (131). This spike was particularly evident in the rates of white “deaths of despair” (132). A large portion of those deaths were caused by drug overdoses. Twenge also points out that studies indicate that having more money and education tends to lead to greater happiness (141). She argues that “The increase in unhappiness among Boomers was almost solely due to those without a college degree” (142). She states that “By 2018, an American with a college degree could expect to live three years longer than someone without one” (145).
Boomers took much of their activism into politics and have dominated government for the last few decades. There will be huge shifts in the years to come now that they are retiring.
The Gen X generation was born between 1965 and 1979. Twenge calls them the “middle child of generations” (151). Like the Silents, Gen X is sandwiched by two dominant generations. They were the first ones to embrace the Internet (155). Twenge comments, “Silents and Boomers wanted to see you in person or call you on the phone, Gen Xers wanted to e-mail you, Millennials wanted to text you, and Gen Z wanted to send you their resume as a TikTok video” (156).
The favorite technology of Gen Xers was the TV. Twenge suggests that if the defining moment for Boomers was JFK’s assassination, for Gen Xers it was their parents’ divorce (159). She notes that Gen Xers were a neglected, latchkey generation (161).
The concept of “self-esteem” skyrocketed for Gen Xers between 1970-1995 (171). In the 1950s, only 12% of young people agreed with the statement, “I am an important person.” By the late 1980s, 80% agreed with it (123). Twenge points out that a high self-esteem is not a strong predictor of success in school or work (175). But having a high self-esteem does help with depression.
Gen Xers became consumed with the pursuit of money and consumer goods, as they were the first generation to have been inundated with advertisements on TV for their entire lives. Twenty-five percent of Gen X college students majored in business so they could earn a good living. For previous generations, an equal percentage of students entered nursing or education, fields more focused on helping people than on high salaries.
Gen Xers got a slower start marrying and starting families and careers. Typically, the older people are when they marry, the less likely they are to divorce. Gen Xers divorced at a lower rate than Boomers did (193). They were also more cynical. Twenge notes that “All in all, the generations born since the 1960s are markedly less likely to trust other people” (197). Gen Xers were the most politically apathetic generation (211).
Millennials were born between 1980 and 1994. Their upbringing was “relentlessly positive” (231). Twenge humorously notes that “Millennial’s culture is not knowing what your ring tone sounds like because your phone’s been on vibrate since 2009” (233). Whereas Boomers shifted culture to be about the self, Millennials have known nothing else (237). Until the 1990s, books used words like “we” and “us” as frequently as “I” and “me” (238). But after that time, words about self began to dominate. Twenge concedes, “the idea that Millennials are highly self-confident is true” (241).
Millennials were constantly told that they were all winners and that they should just be themselves. “However, people high in self-esteem are not actually any more successful than people with low self-esteem” (243). She notes that Millennial students expected to earn “A’s” just for showing up to class (247). Twenge writes, “Here’s the problem: Thinking that you’re special is not an indication of self-confidence—it’s an indicator of narcissism” (249). Indeed, narcissism rose steadily until 2008 (252).
In 2008, there was a recession and jobs and opportunities dried up. As Jason Dorsey wrote, “My Reality Check Bounced” (248). Twenge notes that “Many Millennials came to recognize that their buoyant childhood did not prepare them for the reality of adulthood” (248). One of the most famous Millennials is Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. Many social media platforms arose during this generation.
Millennials took the slow growing up approach. They became the best educated generation in American history. They were the first generation in which more than 1 in 3 earned a four-year college degree (257). Their medium income was $9,000 more than Gen Xers at the same age (260). For older Millennials, housing was cheaper than for Gen Xers (268). Millennials also had fewer children to support, giving them more money to care for fewer people. The gender pay gap also decreased (272). Nevertheless, Millennials held a widespread view that they were hard done by economically. Many blamed Boomers for blocking their path to management and better jobs. Twenge points out that Millennials felt poor without actually being poor (275).
Twenge comments that student loans and the cost of childcare both caused financial hardships for Millennials. But the perception that Millennials were poorer than other generations is factually untrue.
Millennials became the first generation in which the majority of 25-39-year-olds were unmarried (279). They had fewer children than any previous generation (282). Twenge points out that “If you’ve been told to put yourself first, having kids is a big ask” (286).
Millennials also began a mass exodus from religious norms. An equal number of Millennials were unaffiliated with a religious group as were affiliated with one (297). Boomers were three times more religiously affiliated than Millennials (297).
Politically, six in ten Millennials identified as Democrat (307). Surprisingly, Millennials also suffered high levels of “deaths of despair” (329). Compared to Gen X, Millennials were far more likely to die of a drug overdose (329). Suicide rates increased with Millennials by 39% (329).
Twenge concludes, “after an adolescence of possibility and happiness, Millennial adults were more likely to be depressed and more likely to die deaths of despair” (370). Twenge points out that marriage and religion are two strong indicators of happiness, and Millennials abandoned both in large numbers (339).
Gen Z was born between 1995 and 2012. Twenge has referred to them as iGen (345). Those born after 1995 have never known a world without the Internet (345). Twenge predicts that this will be the last generation in which any one race dominates (346). Gen Z is less likely to use words like “class,” “status,” “nation,” “religious,” or “spiritual” and more likely to use words such as “stressful,” “relatable,” “gender identity,” “free,” “true,” “honest,” “cancel,” “ghost,” “block,” “fam,” and “squad” (347).
Gen Z is the only generation in which the majority believe there are more than two genders (350). While 1 in 1,000 Boomers identified as transgender, 23 in 1,000 Gen Z do (352). Interestingly, most Boomer and Gen X transgenders were biological males. Most transgender Gen Zers are biological females (354). In 2014 there were 220,000 transgenders in America. By 2021, 900,000 identified as such (356). The increase was almost exclusively made up of biological females. Three in ten Gen Z women identify as something other than straight (364). Twenge grapples with what may be the cause of this steep increase. She wonders if pornography has affected this generation with its widespread availability and its particular emphasis (369).
Gen Z has waited longer for everything associated with adulthood (372). On the positive side, they drink less alcohol and use fewer drugs. They engage less frequently in premarital sex. They are a much safer generation that gets in fewer car accidents and is less likely to engage in dangerous activities. They also crave “safe spaces” on campuses and believe in “disinviting” college speakers who might say something harmful (378). In the 2010s, “trigger warnings” were popularized (387). “Safe spaces” became popular after 2012 (387).
Gen Z does not socialize in person as much as previous generations did. As a result, despite their heavy social media use, they are a lonelier generation (393). They are also less satisfied with their lives (392-3). They tend to have a more negative outlook on life in general. Twenge points out, “There is a full-blown mental health crisis among young people” (396). The suicide rate doubled in 12 years (401).
Twenge believes the primary culprit is smartphones and social media (401). All of the alarming rises in suicides and depression occurred after the widespread adoption of smartphones. She notes, “The very large and sudden changes in mental health and behaviors between Millennials and Gen Z are likely not a coincidence. They arose from the fastest adoption of technology in human history” (401). This increase is not merely an American phenomenon, as identical trends are evident in the UK, Canada, and Australia (403). In one study, a control group who cut back on their social media use felt happier and less depressed within three weeks (411).
Gen Z suffers from increasing pessimism (418). This cynicism is also directed toward the nation. Four in ten Gen Z teens think the founding fathers of the United States were the bad guys (421). Social media, from which most Gen Z obtain their news, spews out negativity, because negative news attracts far more clicks (423). This inundation with negatively slanted news is contributing to a pessimistic view of the nation, the world, and life.
Many Gen Z women have a negative view of their life and its possibilities, believing women face unfair disadvantages. They hold this view despite the fact that since 1982, women have earned more college degrees than men have (427). Twenge concludes, “The result: American society has apparently convinced teen girls that the world is against them” (428).
Polars (or “alphas”) were born in 2013 and the end date is yet to be determined (451). This date is chosen because, by 2013, the smartphone had been adopted by the majority of Americans, making it ubiquitous for this generation (451). By age eight, 1 in 5 Polars has a smartphone (457). By age 11, the majority do.
Twenge includes a final section looking to the future and trying to predict what the consequences of these trends will be. She suggests numerous consequences, such as Millennials and Gen Z having a negative view of the American system.
She also notes the impact of fewer people having children. Parents tend to become more conservative, valuing safety and stability for their children. She suggests that “A society with fewer parents is a society more likely to move away from tradition and to agitate for change” (486).
In a nation abandoning religion, many are embracing politics as their greatest cause. This shift will lead to greater polarization and strong feelings on both sides of the aisle.
This book was interesting. For the most part, I felt like the author restricted her views to data from the numerous surveys and studies. She presents the facts. She speculates on causes and correlation, but I did not feel like she had an axe to grind. Naturally, this data can be either alarming or instructive. Hopefully the church will use this information to provide hope and meaning to a younger generation that has largely been cut adrift from the sources that used to provide such meaning to earlier generations.
I recommend you read this book. I believe it will be the source of much discussion for years to come!
Rating: 3
