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Boomers most
certainly march to their own beat and as such are distinctly different from
other generations. ; Surprisingly, however, in many ways Boomers share striking
similarities to the generations that precede (Matures) and follow (Gen Xers)
them. ;
Just who are
these diverse individuals? ; A new study from BoomerEyes, the leading Boomer
research and demographic intelligence authority, and industry leader JWT Mature
Market Group, takes an up close look at both the differences and similarities
between these three generations. ; Here’s a look at some of the cross
generational insights that the BoomerEyes/JWT Boomer Heartbeat study found:
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Big Picture Thinking
Daydreamer…Boomers’ daydreams align most similarly with Gen Xers’ daydreams with
financial freedom, financial success, travel and family topping the list. ;
Worry warts…
Financial concerns and family top the list of worries for both Boomers and Gen
Xers. ; Matures worry about family and health and less about finances.
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Time well
spent…Gen Xers’ time commitments center around work and family, with limited
time devoted to friends, hobbies and travel. ; Matures concentrate on family,
friends and hobbies. ; Boomers occupy a middle ground. ;
Life is
good…There is a natural progression across the three generations, from feeling
like the best years are still ahead of you, to feeling you are experiencing them
now.
Positive
outlook…Matures have a more positive outlook on life, saying they are a positive
person (80 percent) more often than Boomers (70 percent) and Gen Xers (64
percent). ;
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Home Life
Comfort
zone…Of the three generations, Boomers (63 percent) are the least likely to feel
more comfortable with familiar things (69 percent for Gen Xers and 65 percent
for Matures). ; Boomers (70 percent), Matures (69 percent) and Gen Xers (75
percent) all say they like to try new things.
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Live and
learn…Even though they like to learn new things overall, Boomers say so less
often than Gen Xers (76 percent versus 80 percent respectively). ;
Tech
talk…Boomers and Matures are similar in their comfort with technology (68
percent and 66 percent respectively) versus 79 percent of Gen Xers. ;
Convenience
factor…Although convenience is key across all segments, it is a bigger driver
for Gen Xers (73 percent) than Boomers (67 percent) and Matures (64 percent).
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Speed
demon…Overall, all segments say searching for ways to do things faster is
important. ; Boomers and Matures (68 percent) place slightly less importance on
this desire than the younger Gen Xers (75 percent).
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Work World
All work and
no play…Boomers and Gen Xers both share the same outlook on work. ; Both are
planning to work as long as they can (55 percent and 53 percent respectively)
versus only 37 percent of Matures.
Job
security…Boomers have experienced the most job loss (30 percent) versus 26
percent of Gen Xers and only 12 percent of Matures. ;
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Health
Exercise
routine…Boomers fall behind both Gen Xers and Matures in their exercise
frequency. ; Only 64 percent of Boomers exercise once or more per week versus 75
percent for the other generations. ; However, Boomers are exercising about the
same versus three years ago (41 percent) while Gen Xers are exercising less
often (38 percent). ;
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Battle of
the bulge…Maintaining weight is harder for Boomers and Matures (77 percent) than
Gen Xers (64 percent). ;
What’s
cooking?…More Boomers (38 percent) than Gen Xers (28 percent) say they cook
less often. ; ; ;
Less is
more…Matures (66 percent) eat more smaller meals than Boomers (48 percent). ;
Fit as a
fiddle…Boomers are actively engaged in improving their health. ; Because they are
doing tangible things to bolster their health, Boomers worry less about health
and diet (14 percent) than Matures (21 percent). ; ; ;
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;“Boomers
are an extremely influential market that wields enormous cultural, social and
economic currency,” said Anne Wall, senior vice president, C&R Research. ; “Known
to reshape their circumstances to better suit their needs and desires, Boomers
are certainly poised to make a long-lasting imprint on this newest life stage.” ;
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BoomerEyes,
a specialized research division of C&R Research, conducted the comprehensive
Boomer Heartbeat study to provide a deeper understanding and an up-to-date
analysis of the Boomer population. ; The online BoomerEyes survey features a
total of 1,100 interviews completed in August 2005.
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For more
information about the study and additional findings, contact Patti O’Donnell at
773/282-1043 or via email at
patti.odonnell@comcast.net.
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