By Kristen Bialik and Richard Fry of Pew Research –
Over the past 50 years – from the Silent Generation’s young adulthood to that of Millennials today – the United States has undergone large cultural and societal shifts. Now that the youngest Millennials are adults, how do they compare with those who were their age in the generations that came before them?
- On the whole, Millennials are starting families later than their counterparts in prior generations. Just under half (46%) of Millennials ages 25 to 37 are married, a steep drop from the 83% of Silents who were married in 1968.
- Generational differences in political attitudes and partisan affiliation are as wide as they have been in decades.
- Millennials have brought more racial and ethnic diversity to American society.
- Millennial women, like Generation X women, are more likely to participate in the nation’s workforce than prior generations.
