Asked which generation they relate most to, only 41% of Gen Xers (born between 1965 and 1976) identified their own generation, according to survey results from MetLife. That’s on par with the percentage who, combined, identify with Baby Boomers (28%) and Gen Yers (12%). In fact, respondents were as likely to say they don’t like Gen X as a description for their generation as were to say they like it or like it somewhat (49% and 51%, respectively). The researchers suggest that “relating to a generational identity is more influenced by family, values, interests, abilities and personal experience than by age.”
That’s because there was no real discernible pattern in generational identification when sorting by year of birth. That is, while the oldest Gen Xers (born in 1965) were more likely than any others to identify as Boomers, the youngest (born in 1974) were second-most likely. Propensity to relate to Gen Yers also fluctuated, although identification with Gen X seemed to be higher among those squarely in the middle of the generation, age-wise.
The study also uncovers another sort of identity crisis: the 2 most commonly cited characteristics of the generation are polar opposites. Those characteristics? Hard working (8%) and lazy (5%). Read the rest at MarketingCharts.
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