Top Millennial Questions Answered!

Millennials, Generation Y, Gen Y, Digital Natives, Echo Boomers, or something else?

Different names are used for this birth cohort around the world. For example, in North America the most common generational name is Millennials. However, in other parts of the world, Gen Y is more popular. The key is that it’s the same generation, just a different name.

In our national and international research at The Center for Generational Kinetics, we look at birth years and geography to uncover each generation’s behaviors, characteristics, influences, and emerging trends. Understanding and agreeing on a name makes it easier to talk about the same generation.

Whenever I’m speaking, especially outside of North America, I always make sure to include the different names and birth years so that everyone knows which generations I’m talking about.

The birth years for Millennials are a hot topic and one in which there is much debate. Based on The Center’s research, we place the birth years for Millennials from approximately 1977 to 1995 in North America.

I emphasize approximately because the ending of one generation and beginning of the next is almost always a transitional period of a few years, not one defining moment—except in the case of 9/11 in the U.S.

Since 9/11 was such a generation-defining moment in the U.S., Millennials end in 1995 and Gen Z begins immediately afterward. If you were born after 1995, our research shows it’s almost impossible to clearly remember 9/11 and have a deeply emotional, life-changing connection to it.

Another way I explain it in my speeches and writing is, “If 9/11 has always been history to you—and not something you personally remember—then you are not a Millennial; you are Gen Z.”

However, this generational divide is not the same around the world. Events such as 9/11 have different significance and impact in different geographies. This is why we lead research by geography to uncover those differences, and we don’t assume that Millennials in the U.S. are the same as those in China or Chile.

The size of the Millennial generation varies based on the region of the world. In the U.S., there are approximately 83 million Millennials. They are the largest generation of employees and consumers. In other countries, Gen Z or Baby Boomers could be larger. The percentage of each generation within a country or geography depends on population drivers such as birth rates, the economy, immigration patterns, etc.

Short answer: No. This is simply a transitional period.

Essentially, you can be born within 3-5 years of any generation’s beginning or end year—except in the case of a generation-defining moment like 9/11— and have all the characteristics of the generation before or after. In the generational research world, we call people born on the edges or boundaries of generations “Cuspers.” Being a Cusper is an advantage because it usually means you are more empathetic to both generations.