A generation game

People born later than 2001 are likely to be more conservative than their generational predecessors, according to a new survey. Global brand consultancy, the Gild, has released, 'The Generation Study,' in which the attitudes of 2,000 people were used to determine where they fit in conjunction with their actual age group.

The results showed that Generation Z (born 2001 or later) responded to questions regarding same-sex marriage, transgender rights and marijuana legalisation with more 'moderate' and 'conservative' answers than previous generations such as Millennials (born 1981-2000), Generation X (born 1965-1980) and Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964).

The study asked about a range of different topics, from body piercings and tattoos to savings and spending, and with Generation Z growing up post-financial crisis, 25% would rather save for the future. Conversely, older generations were also more likely to spend the money on their daily lives. When asked about technology, the latest of the generational labels showed a higher dependency on the burgeoning market, with 29% describing themselves as "tech enthusiasts."

Andrew Mulholland, managing director at the Gild, says, "We need to move past the recent trend of ‘Millennial Fever,’ where the term ‘Millennial’ has become a lazy, if convenient, shorthand for some vague notion of achingly cool, social media-savvy 20-somethings who refuse stable careers and drink smoothies all day. And Gen Z may not be quite what you were expecting, as the data shows that they are more conservative than Millennials, Generation X and even Baby Boomers.”