Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation

Millennials Rising examines the past, present and alternative futures of the Millennial generation – those born in or after 1982. Howe and Strauss tell the story absorbingly, combining facts, stories, cartoons and sidebar quotes. The authors provide many new ideas and statistics about the Millennials and challenge the negative stereotypes often applied to young people. A history of US generations is interwoven both to provide context and as a tool to predict the future. Because of its thoroughness and practical wisdom, the book will be ideal in helping managers make better decisions. Plentiful documentation is provided, including sections on “Author surveys”, “Sidebar voices”, “Text references” and “Data sources”.

The book is organized into three parts: “Where they come from”, “Who they are”, and “Where they’re going”. Part One consists of three chapters: “The next great generation”, “From babies on board to power ’teens”, and “The coming Millennial revolution”.

The main focus of Chapter 1 is debunking several negative stereotypes commonly held about Millennials. Chapter 1 also points out how Millennials are unlike any other youth generation in living memory, why they prefer the nickname Millennials, and what kind of generation Millennials are likely to become.

Chapter 2 traces recent history through several changes – the era of the wanted child, the era of the protected child, and the era of the worthy child. Another important component is an explanation of why the definition of a generation is more than just birth numbers. The last part of Chapter 2 details how generations shape history.

Chapter 3 answers the question, “Why do so few people, even experts, know how to anticipate generational change?” (p. 60). The meat of the chapter explains how Americans are taken by surprise when a new generation arrives and how all generations rebel. The authors also answer the question, “Is there any pattern or dynamic that determines how each generation will be new?” (p. 61).

Part Two of this book contains ten chapters: “The baby boomlet” (demography); “Kinderpolitics” (political economy); “Ground Zero of the culture wars” (family); “Raising standards for regular kids” (school); “Jiggy with it” (pace of life); “Zero tolerance” (conduct); “Junior citizens” (community); “The happiness business” (culture); “Rocket cash” (commerce); and “Planet Pokemon” (world).

In Chapter 4, Howe and Strauss describe the Millennials in demographic terms. First, the authors explain how the “‘Me Decade’ 1970s ran smack into the ‘family values’ 1980s, an era of resplendent natalism” (p. 77). Further, Chapter 4 provides many examples of the USA’s new love affair with babies. Another highlight is a discussion of “one of the most important demographic realities affecting today’s kids” (p. 83). The last section describes the rising wellbeing of babies and of kids and ’teens.

Chapter 5 is about kinderpolitics – the growing voter determination to translate the USA’s fears about kids into aggressive public policies (p. 98). The chapter deals with “the major elements which dominate the Millennials’ first perception of the public world and the adults who run it” (p. 98).

In Chapter 6, the authors document and explain why “the family is a more exclusively venerated and popular focus of national life today than it has ever been before in American history” (p. 123). First, several examples are given of how the millennial‐era family differs from the Generation‐X child era. The second part contrasts “single parents, then and now” with statistics and examples. Third, Howe and Strauss explain several ways in which “both single parents and two‐earner families are benefiting from new ways of protecting and supervising children” (p. 134). The fourth section provides quantitative data, which refute several negative assumptions many people hold about today’s family. The chapter concludes with another comparison of families past and present, this time with a focus on “the countervailing ‘delta’ of family change, which may be the most important single force causing generations to become so different from one another” (p. 141).

In Chapter 7, readers receive more good news: “Millennials are becoming a generation of positive trends in educational achievement” (p. 145). Several of the dramatic changes in the direction of education are noted. Next, the concept of school “choice” is discussed from several angles. The following section explains why most parents pull their children out of public schools – Values. In the subsequent section, Teamwork, other changes in education are explained. The following division addresses Standards – the return of benchmarks, the consequences of not meeting them, who benefits from the resurgence of standards, the pressure to achieve them, and Millennials’ attitude toward a more structured curriculum. In the succeeding part, the report card of the Millennials is described, first disaggregated and second in general. The authors wrap up the chapter by contrasting the different educational thrusts of four eras and explaining how Boomers felt and Millennials feel about school.

In Chapter 8, Howe and Strauss explain that in today’s ’teens is a “new post‐X mixture of optimism and activity” (p. 168). First, details are given on activities on which less time is spent and on those which are consuming more time. The bulk of the chapter pays special attention to how Millennials feel about the lives they are leading in view of the adjectives which best describe them.

The theme of Chapter 9 is “The rules have changed. Faced with this change, teenage America has been sprucing up its conduct” (p. 189). Most of the material involves explaining some of the ways in which zero tolerance has affected the ’teen landscape. Chapter 9 concludes with a discussion on raising the bar.

Chapter 10 explains the role of Millennials in their communities. “Already, Millennial ’teens are hard at work on a grass‐roots reconstruction of community, teamwork and civic spirit” (p. 214). The chapter concludes by revealing the challenge facing today’s ’teens and how they are reacting to that challenge.

In Chapter 11, Millennials Rising addresses some of the entertainment taste changes that caught much of the industry off‐guard and informs readers of the significance of the Harry Potter books, Pokemon, Barney, and kid‐friendly cable networks. The cultural choices of Millennial teenagers are dealt with, and the authors predict when and how the Millennials will make their major cultural move.

Chapter 12 addresses incorrect assumptions about kids in the marketplace and how Millennials are shifting the economy. The authors explain what is behind the “new youth economy of astounding scale and extravagance” (p. 265). Here, they make clear four major components of today’s youth consumerism, focus on which income sources are increasing in importance and which are waning, and inform readers about the “overflow of logos, labels and ads” (p. 280). The writers also warn Corporate USA not to make an ancient strategic blunder, explain how parents are taking active steps to shield their kids from an overdose of marketing, provide several examples of how kid‐marketing campaigns show some new Millennial twists, explain how Millennials are encouraged to save and invest, and caution marketers on the intrusion of commerce into public schools. The last section of the chapter compares and contrasts the attitudes of parents and kids toward the Millennial consumerism and encourages marketers to “find a secure niche soon and brace for the onslaught” (p. 286).

The closing chapter of Part Two traces six global generations, explaining the linkages with events and persona of each, contrasts the global Millennials with the other generations, and explains how North American youths are the “initiators, the pathbreakers, the exemplars of what’s new” (p. 298). The authors also make predictions about future changes and acknowledge that “The budding power of this global generation could soon be a source of immense civic energy, for good or ill, throughout the world” (p. 304).

The final section has three chapters and extends the Millennial story into the future. Chapter 14 – “The clock is tickin”’ – looks at what Millennials are likely to do, decade by decade and what the timetable will mean for the USA.

Chapter 15 – “Hero generations in history” – examines several generations and answers these questions:

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  What did the USA do to create such a generation?

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  How did the members of such a generation begin life?

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  What was their childhood era like, and how were they perceived as children?

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  Who were the older generations, and what were they like as parents?

The chapter concludes with this thought: “Millennials are America’s latest generation with hero potential. In the oh‐ohs (2000 – 2009), as they come of age as young adults, they will test the rhythms of history. They and others will learn whether theirs is in fact America’s next great generation” (p. 346).

Chapter 16 – “A capacity for greatness” – first applies the “lessons of history, superimposed on what is known about each of these generations, to determine how their coincident aging could produce a new era of crisis and, with it a Millennial hero trial” (p. 349). The second and third divisions discuss the next rendezvous with destiny and alternative futures. Several scenarios are considered, some chilling indeed. Readers are left with this reassuring thought: “Boomers and Gen‐Xers can take some satisfaction in how they are raising a generation fully prepared to accept challenges, live up to their elders’ trust, and triumph over whatever history has in store for them” (p. 362).

The last chapter – “Millennials rising” – underscores the importance of heeding generational change to help Americans better prepare for the future and gives guidance to Boomers and Gen‐Xers on how these generations can shape a generation of heroes.

Reading Millennials Rising will benefit anyone who markets to, manages, or provides guidance – parental or otherwise – to, the Millennial generation. Additionally, readers will better understand what makes/made Americans of all other generations tick.