Generation X: Stuck in the Middle Gen Xersare the demographic bridge between the predominantly white Baby Boomersand more diverse Millennials They also fallin the middle othe nogra phic measures %white Hispanic) %marriedatage Millennials Genx mers Millennials GenX Boomers (1980) GenXers attitudes political and socia lissues often betweenthose more conservative Babv Boomers.and smore Jibera Mil ennials. bianer.overnment.utithutt services themselves again the middle
Gen Xers are bookended by two much larger generations – the Baby Boomers ahead and the Millennials behind – that are strikingly different from one another. And in most of the ways we take stock of generations – their racial and ethnic makeup; their political, social and religious values; their economic and educational circumstances; their technology usage – Gen Xers are a low-slung, straight-line bridge between two noisy behemoths.
To be fair, there are a few metrics that don’t fit this straightforward pattern of generational evolution. For example, over the course of their voting lives, older Gen Xers have tended to be more Republican than both older Boomers and younger Millennials. Also, Xers are more pessimistic than both of those larger generations that they’ll have enough money for their retirement – though some of that negativity is doubtless tied to the economic stresses of middle age.
Gen Xers also stand out in another way. In 2010 when Pew Research asked adults of all ages if they thought their own generation was unique, about six-in-ten Boomers and Millennials said yes. But only about half of Gen Xers said the same. And even among those who did, there was very little consensus about why they are distinctive.
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