In recent years, massive changes have been observed in the way people do things, how they respond to situations, and how they handle, for example, stressing situations. With a deeper look of things, the differences can be tracked down to the various generations of people at present.

The fact that most people do not have an idea about the generations makes it even harder to see where the confusion lies. If you have been muddled by the “alphabet soup” of generational names, you are not alone. It is a real frustration for most people when they realize they didn’t know there was a Gen X and Millennials’ grouping.

As people grow older, their birthdays remain the same. This brings out the generational naming, loosely based on the birth year rather than the age. Since it becomes a more complicated topic the more you immerse yourself in it, here is a comparison between Generation X and Millennials.

What is Generation X?

Generation X, also called Gen X is a group of individuals who were born anywhere between 1965 and 1979. They are currently between 54 – 40 years of age and are mostly the parents of the Millennials group. It is the demographic cohort that follows the generation falling between the years 1944 and 1964 and commonly referred to as Baby Boomers.

Gen X is made up of individuals who were born and brought up when there was a widespread change in societal values. Due to the massive reduction in adult supervision, the generation was also referred to as the “Latchkey Generation”. The reduced supervision was attributed to increased divorce cases, more maternal involvement in the workforce, and increased childcare options, mostly outside the home.

Who are Millennials?

Millennials is a demographic cohort that precedes Generation Z and follows Generation X. Also called Gen Y or Generation Y, the group has no precise dates as to when it starts and ends. However, demographic experts and researchers put the dates between the early 1980s and mid-1990s and ending at early 2000s.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a major upsurge in birth rates. As a result, the Millennials are often referred to as “echo boomers”. The name also came because they are the children of baby boomers.

The millennials group has varying characteristics depending on such factors as the region they are from as well as economic and social conditions. However, there is a major characteristic of this group. It is a group marked by an increase in the use as well as familiarity with media, communications, and technological advancements.

Differences Between Generation X and Millennials

The most significant differences between these two generations are:

Generation X, also called Gen X refers to a demographic cohort of individuals who were born between the early-to-mid 1960s and around 1979’s to the early 1980s. They preceded the Millennials and followed the Baby Boomers generation. The Millennials, on the other hand, is a generational cohort that has birth years ranging between the early 1980s to the early 2000s. The cohort precedes Generation Z and follows Generation X.

The Millennial generation is more inclined to the use of highly advanced technology. They spend more time on social media and prefer streaming options rather than watching the television. It is a technologically savvy generation while Generation X is moderately inclined to technology with less time spent on social media. Generation X also prefers catching up with news through traditional media like the TV and radio.

Gen X needs independence, values work and life balancing, prefers task-based responsibilities, views a promotion as a reward, and views technology as a learned skill. The Millennials group, on the other hand, believes in civic duties, sees managers as equals, thrives well in a team setting, prefers getting regular feedback, and takes technology as an integral part of their daily life.

Different events shape the two generations. Gen X, for example, is associated with the Cold War and the rise of personal computing while the Millennials came to be with events such as increased terror attacks, great recession, as well as the explosion of heavy internet usage and social media.

For a Gen X individual, looking at better rates to manage debts is more preferred. They are also loyal to brands and also believe banking should be more of a personal relationship. The Millennials have different economic habits. They would rather shop for products first, look for digital tools to help them manage debts without friction, and would rather have a mobile money managing app than line up in a banking hall.

Generation X Vs. Millennials: Comparison Table

Summary of Generation X verses Millennials

Recent years have been witnesses to drastic changes in almost every field. The changes are attributed to the different generations as well as their newly adapted ways of doing things. Such changes are well pronounced by the generational gaps between, for example, Gen X and Millennials. The confusion will always exist as to what makes each of the groups, but a deeper screening of the identifying characteristics will bring out their key variances.

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