Editing Generation X (section)

====In midlife====
=====Achieving a work-life balance=====
In 2011, survey analysis from the ''Longitudinal Study of American Youth'' found Gen Xers (defined as those who were then between the ages of 30 and 50) to be "balanced, active, and happy" in midlife and as achieving a [[work-life balance]]. The Longitudinal Study of Youth is an [[NIH]]-[[National Institute on Aging|NIA]] funded study by the University of Michigan which has been studying Generation X since 1987. The study asked questions such as "Thinking about all aspects of your life, how happy are you? If zero means that you are very unhappy and 10 means that you are very happy, please rate your happiness." LSA reported that "[[mean]] level of happiness was 7.5 and the [[median]] (middle score) was 8. Only four percent of Generation X adults indicated a great deal of unhappiness (a score of three or lower). Twenty-nine percent of Generation X adults were very happy with a score of 9 or 10 on the scale."<ref name="LSA">{{cite web|url=http://lsay.org/GenX_Rept_Iss1.pdf|title=The Generation X Report: Active, Balanced, and Happy|last=Miller|first=Jon|date=Fall 2011|publisher=Longitudinal Study of American Youth – University of Michigan|page=1|access-date=29 May 2013|archive-date=28 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128113321/http://lsay.org/GenX_Rept_Iss1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lsay.org/|title=NSF funds launch of a new LSAY 7th grade cohort in 2015 NIH-NIA fund continued study of original LSAY students|date=2011|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=University of Michigan|archive-date=6 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160606005038/http://lsay.org/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122088|title=Long-term Survey Reveals Gen Xers Are Active, Balanced and Happy|date=25 October 2011|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=National Science Foundation|archive-date=7 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807195604/https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122088|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Dawson|first1=Alene|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/living/gen-x-satisfied/|title=Study says Generation X is balanced and happy|date=27 October 2011|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=CNN|archive-date=30 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630002619/http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/26/living/gen-x-satisfied|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2014, [[Pew Research]] provided further insight, describing the cohort as "savvy, skeptical and self-reliant; they're not into preening or pampering, and they just might not give much of a hoot what others think of them. Or whether others think of them at all."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Taylor|first1=Paul|url=http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/05/generation-x-americas-neglected-middle-child/|title=Generation X: America's neglected 'middle child'|date=5 June 2014|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=Pew Research|archive-date=18 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618205325/http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/05/generation-x-americas-neglected-middle-child/|url-status=live}}</ref> Furthermore, guides regarding managing multiple generations in the workforce describe Gen Xers as: independent, resilient, resourceful, self-managing, adaptable, cynical, pragmatic, skeptical of authority, and as seeking a work-life balance.<ref name="MetLife" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/Glance-Inclusion.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822204235/http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/Glance-Inclusion.pdf |archive-date=22 August 2016 |url-status=live|title=Creating a Culture of Inclusion – Leveraging Generational Diversity: At-a-Glance|date=2010|access-date=19 June 2016|publisher=University of Michigan}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Eames|first1=David|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-eames/news/article.cfm?a_id=211&objectid=10496379|title=Jumping the generation gap|date=6 March 2008|newspaper=New Zealand Herald|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817081448/http://www.nzherald.co.nz/david-eames/news/article.cfm?a_id=211&objectid=10496379|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=White|first1=Doug|date=23 December 2014|title=What to Expect From Gen-X and Millennial Employees|url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240556|magazine=Entrepreneur|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-date=9 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809090746/https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240556|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Entrepreneurship as an individual trait=====
[[File:Sergey Brin, Web 2.0 Conference.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|[[Google]] co-founder [[Sergey Brin]], speaking at a [[Web 2.0]] conference]]
[[Individualism]] is one of the defining traits of Generation X, and is reflected in their entrepreneurial spirit.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sirias|first=Danilo|date=September 2007|title=Comparing the levels of individualism/collectivism between Baby Boomers and generation X: Implications for teamwork|url=https://www.emerald.com/|journal=Management Research News|doi=10.1108/01409170710823467|access-date=3 February 2023|archive-date=27 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127044449/http://emerald.com/|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In the 2008 book ''X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking'', author [[Jeff Gordinier]] describes Generation X as a "[[dark horse]] demographic" which "doesn't seek the limelight". Gordiner cites examples of Gen Xers' contributions to society such as: [[Google]], [[Wikipedia]], [[Amazon.com]], and [[YouTube]], arguing that if Boomers had created them, "we'd never hear the end of it". In the book, Gordinier contrasts Gen Xers to Baby Boomers, saying Boomers tend to trumpet their accomplishments more than Gen Xers do, creating what he describes as "elaborate mythologies" around their achievements. Gordiner cites [[Steve Jobs]] as an example, while Gen Xers, he argues, are more likely to "just quietly do their thing".<ref name="Gordinier" /><ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Stephey|first1=M.J.|url=http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1731528,00.html|title=Gen-X: The Ignored Generation?|date=16 April 2008|magazine=Time|access-date=19 June 2016|archive-date=20 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620201749/http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1731528,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a 2007 article published in the [[Harvard Business Review]], authors Strauss and Howe wrote of Generation X: "They are already the greatest entrepreneurial generation in U.S. history; their high-tech savvy and marketplace resilience have helped America prosper in the era of globalization."<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Howe|first1=Neil|title=The next 20 years: How customer and workforce attitudes will evolve|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6196698|access-date=19 June 2016|magazine=Harvard Business Review|date=June 2007}}</ref> According to authors Michael Hais and Morley Winograd:
<blockquote>Small businesses and the entrepreneurial spirit that Gen Xers embody have become one of the most popular institutions in America. There's been a recent shift in consumer behavior and Gen Xers will join the "idealist generation" in encouraging the celebration of individual effort and business risk-taking. As a result, Xers will spark a renaissance of [[entrepreneurship]] in economic life, even as overall confidence in economic institutions declines. Customers, and their needs and wants (including Millennials) will become the North Star for an entire new generation of entrepreneurs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beinkandescent.com/articles/942/GenX|title=Why Generation X is Sparking a Renaissance in Entrepreneurship|last1=Winograd|first1=Morley|last2=Hais|first2=Michael|year=2012|access-date=2013-04-22|archive-date=9 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309230233/http://www.beinkandescent.com/articles/942/GenX|url-status=dead}}</ref></blockquote>

A 2015 study by [[Sage Group]] reports Gen Xers "dominate the playing field" with respect to founding [[Startup company|startups]] in the United States and Canada, with Xers launching the majority (55%) of all new businesses in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sage.com/na/~/media/site/sagena/responsive/docs/startup/report|title=2015 State of the Startup|date=2015|access-date=6 August 2016|publisher=sage|archive-date=21 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021015127/https://www.sage.com/na/~/media/site/sagena/responsive/docs/startup/report|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Iudica|first1=David|url=https://advertising.yahoo.com/insights/overlooked-influence-gen-x|title=The overlooked influence of Gen X|date=12 September 2016|access-date=2 October 2016|publisher=Yahoo Advertising|archive-date=21 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021014750/https://advertising.yahoo.com/insights/overlooked-influence-gen-x|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Income benefits of a college education=====
Generation X was the last generation in the U.S. for whom [[Issues in higher education in the United States#Financial value of degrees|higher education was broadly financially remunerative]]. In 2019, the [[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]] published research (using data from the 2016 ''[[Survey of Consumer Finances]]'') demonstrating that after controlling for race and age, families with heads of household born before 1980 had higher wealth and income when the head of household had post-secondary education. For those born after 1980, the wealth premium (of college education) was no longer statistically significant (in part because of the [[Cost and financing issues facing higher education in the United States|rising cost of college]]). The income premium, while remaining positive, had declined to historic lows, with more pronounced downward trajectories among heads of household with [[Postgraduate education|postgraduate degrees]].<ref name="Emmons Kent & Ricketts 2019">{{cite journal|last1=Emmons|first1=William R.|last2=Kent|first2=Ana H.|last3=Ricketts|first3=Lowell R.|year=2019|title=Is College Still Worth It? The New Calculus of Falling Returns|url=https://files.stlouisfed.org/files/htdocs/publications/review/2019/10/15/is-college-still-worth-it-the-new-calculus-of-falling-returns.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016192859/https://files.stlouisfed.org/files/htdocs/publications/review/2019/10/15/is-college-still-worth-it-the-new-calculus-of-falling-returns.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2019 |url-status=live|journal=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review|publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]]|volume=101|issue=4|pages=297–329|doi=10.20955/r.101.297-329|s2cid=211431474|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=====Parenting and volunteering=====
In terms of advocating for their children in the educational setting, author Neil Howe describes Gen X parents as distinct from Baby Boomer parents. Howe argues that Gen Xers are not [[helicopter parents]], which Howe describes as a parenting style of Boomer parents of Millennials. Howe described Gen Xers instead as "stealth fighter parents", due to the tendency of Gen X parents to let minor issues go and to not hover over their children in the educational setting, but to intervene forcefully and swiftly in the event of more serious issues.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Howe|first1=Neil|title=Meet Mr. and Mrs. Gen X: A New Parent Generation|url=http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=11122|access-date=19 April 2016|publisher=AASA – The School Superintendents Association|archive-date=7 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107072813/http://www.aasa.org/SchoolAdministratorArticle.aspx?id=11122|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, the [[Corporation for National and Community Service]] ranked Gen X volunteer rates in the U.S. at "29.4% per year", the highest compared with other generations. The rankings were based on a three-year moving average between 2009 and 2011.<ref>{{cite web|title=Volunteering and Civic Life in America: Generation X Volunteer Rates|url=http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings/States/Generation-X-Volunteer-Rates/2011|publisher=Corporation for National and Community Service|access-date=31 January 2013|date=27 November 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116084906/http://www.volunteeringinamerica.gov/rankings/States/Generation-X-Volunteer-Rates/2011|archive-date=16 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Volunteering in the United States|url=http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040113073422/http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/volun.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2004 |url-status=live|publisher=Bureau of Labor Statistics – U.S. Department of Labor|access-date=20 April 2013|page=1|date=22 February 2013}}</ref>

=====Communication style=====
Generation X prefers the communication modes of face-to-face and phone, whereas the younger generations prefer e-mail and texting.<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=CareerBuilder Survey Identifies Generational Differences in Work Styles, Communication and Changing Jobs |url=https://press.careerbuilder.com/2012-09-13-CareerBuilder-Survey-Identifies-Generational-Differences-in-Work-Styles-Communication-and-Changing-Jobs |publisher=[[CareerBuilder]] |date=2012-09-13 |access-date=2024-07-11}}</ref> In terms of writing, Generation X is more likely than Generation Z to know [[cursive]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Seariac |first=Hanna |date=2023-12-15 |title=Gen Z never learned cursive. The effects of this are more widespread than you think |url=https://www.deseret.com/2022/9/21/23363871/cursive-writing-practice-genz-never-learned-cursive/ |work=[[Deseret News]]  |access-date=2024-07-22}}</ref> and more likely than Millennials to use postal [[mail]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Holder |first=Sarah |date=2018-08-09 |title=How Millennials Can Save the Postal Service |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-09/the-u-s-postal-service-s-plan-to-win-over-millennials |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |access-date=2024-07-22}}</ref> Also, Generation X is less likely to [[Ghosting (behavior)|ghost]] than Millennials and Generation Z.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sbam.org/gen-z-getting-a-bad-reputation-with-employers/ |title=Gen Z Getting a Bad Reputation with Employers |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2024-03-11 |publisher=[[Small Business Association of Michigan]] |access-date=2024-07-10}}</ref> Social media usage is also different, with Generation X preferring [[LinkedIn]] and [[Facebook]], while Millennials and Generation Z prefer [[Snapchat]] and [[TikTok]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/ |title=Social media demographics to inform your 2024 strategy |last=Zote |first=Jacqueline |date=2024-02-14 |publisher=[[Sprout Social]] |access-date=2024-07-10}}</ref>

=====Income differential with previous generations=====
A report titled ''Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?'' focused on the income of males 30–39 in 2004 (those born April 1964{{spaced ndash}}March 1974). The study was released on 25 May 2007 and emphasized that this generation's men made less (by 12%) than their fathers had at the same age in 1974, thus reversing a historical trend. It concluded that, per year increases in household income generated by fathers/sons slowed from an average of 0.9% to 0.3%, barely keeping pace with inflation. "Family incomes have risen though (over the period 1947 to 2005) because more women have gone to work",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300002|title=Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate: Women|date=1950–2018|website=FRED: Economic Data|publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-date=9 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309014459/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300002|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis">{{cite web|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300001|title=Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate: Men|date=January 1948|website=FRED: Economic Data|publisher=Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis|ref=1950 to 2018|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-date=17 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517155756/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LNS11300001|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Isabel Sawhill, Ph.D 2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/sawhill/200705.pdf|title=Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream Alive and Well?|author=Isabel Sawhill, PhD|last2=Morton|first2=John E.|year=2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529155632/http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/sawhill/200705.pdf|archive-date=29 May 2013|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref><ref name="Making less than dad did">{{cite news|last1=Ellis|first1=David|url=https://money.cnn.com/2007/05/25/pf/mobility_study/index.htm?cnn=yes|title=Making less than dad did|date=25 May 2007|work=CNN|access-date=3 May 2010|archive-date=7 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707001755/http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/25/pf/mobility_study/index.htm?cnn=yes|url-status=live}}</ref> "supporting the incomes of men, by adding a second earner to the family. And as with male income, the trend is downward."<ref name="Federal Reserve Bank of St.Louis"/><ref name="Isabel Sawhill, Ph.D 2007"/><ref name="Making less than dad did"/>