EVENING. People.

Generation X: More Than Baggy Pants And Slackers, Study Says

October 10, 1996|By Carrie Teegardin, Cox News Service.

They've been called Generation X, characterized as slackers and cynics and criticized by their Baby Boomer parents.

But while the rest of society focused on a doom-and-gloom scenario of the future, these young Americans have created a new way of looking at the world in which they are masters of their own universe.

This new view has spawned a new age in American society--the "age of seLf-navigation," according to the findings of a new study published in the latest issue of American Demographics magazine.

"We were upset because we felt that Generation X was getting knocked for being slackers, for not having a lot of planning skills, but what we were seeing was the exact opposite," said Chip Walker, global trends director of The BrainWaves Group, the company that conducted the study.

In polling, conducting focus groups and interviews with adults for marketing projects, Walker found that there was "a huge emphasis on practicality and achievement and not having dreams that are unrealistic, and if you want to do something, putting your money where your mouth is."

These "self navigators" now represent about one in four Americans. They tend to be 35 and younger, have relatively small households and share the defining trait of self-reliance.

They are young people who aren't intimidated by the idea of starting their own companies and doing contract work. They do not plan a career that revolves around climbing the corporate ladder. They instead focus on beating the new economy at its own game.

But don't mistake these navigators for yuppies. They aren't focused narrowly on their personal fortunes, power and success in business.

They're more well rounded and more interested in relationships and fun, Walker said, compared with the super-individualist yuppies who are known more for striving for success at any cost.

Instead of running in fear from a new economy that has shocked Boomers with downsizing and stagnant incomes, navigators are embracing the change, welcoming a time when they won't have to work the same job for 30 years, and an era when opportunities are better than ever for those who know how to fill a niche in a fast-changing new world.

"The culture has gelled with people under 35 in a way that we haven't seen since the Baby Boomers came of age," Walker said.

The "age of self-navigation" has reordered the broad demographic groups into which Americans are categorized, according to BrainWaves researchers:

- Self navigators, 26 percent: Predominantly young Americans who reject time-honored traditions. They believe: "It's up to me to create my own well-being." Achievement is important, but personal relationships are too.

- Post-yuppies, 29 percent: Young suburban and urban Americans who emphasize achievement and power. The most individualistic group, they place less importance than other Americans do on relationships.

- Family values Boomers, 28 percent: The group closest to the "average American," they emphasize relationships, tradition and enjoyment and place less emphasis on power and achievement.

- Hard-core traditionalists, 17 percent: Older Americans who strongly emphasize tradition and fitting into society. They are less interested in fun and excitement than other groups.