Generational Demographics
Feb 02 2009
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One of the most common references in media and marketing circles is a casual reference to the current generations using demographic nicknames. These nicknames are handy divisions for labelling the bulk of the current population and can speed the understanding of demographic audience targeting and behaviour relating to media use and shopping. 

The G.I. Generation is the name given the people who grew through adolescence in the 1930s and early 1940s and were the principle participants in World War II.

Key characteristics: conformity, conservatism, traditional family values.

A Baby Boomer is someone born in a period of increased birth rates, such as those during the economic prosperity following World War II (1946 to 1964).

Key characteristics: experimental, individualism, free spirited, social cause oriented.

Generation X is a term used broadly in popular culture. It generally consists of persons born in the 1960s and 1970s, although the exact dates of birth are not definite. It has also been described as a generation consisting of those people whose teen years touched the 1980s, born after Baby Boomers.

Key characteristics: quest for emotional security, independent, informality, entrepreneurial.

Generation Y, sometimes called the "Millennial Generation," is used to describe those born in the 1980s and 1990s. Many in Generation Y are the children of Baby Boomers.

Key characteristics: quest for physical security and safety, heightened fears, acceptance of change, technically savvy, environmental issues.

Generation Z, people born from 2000 to 2020 to Generation X parents.

A recently coined addition to the list is:

Generation O, The generation of Americans approximately 18 to 35 years old who voted for or supported Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

Adapted from Sources: www.briscoehall.com, www.wordspy.com & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics