How Millennial pastimes differ from Baby Boomers
Whether it’s attitudes in the workplace, lifestyle choices or their favourite food and drinks, we’re constantly being told about the differences between Millennials and Baby Boomers. So much so that it seems like the two generations are worlds apart.
How does that reflect in their hobbies? In truth, they actually have a lot in common.
What are Millennials and Baby Boomers?
Baby Boomers is the nickname given to babies born in the aftermath of World War 2. Why? There was a clear increase in the birth rate – a ‘baby boom’ so to speak. And Millennials? These are people who reached adulthood during the early 21st century – the turn of the Millennium.
Born after 1946, Baby Boomers are currently in their late fifties, sixties and early seventies. On the other hand, Millennials are mostly in their twenties or mid-thirties. The cut off point are those born after 1996, who are classed as Generation Z.
In between the two is Generation X, in many cases the children of Baby Boomers and parents of Millennials. However, Millennials may also be the children of Baby Boomers, separated by as little as 20 years of age – a 37-year-old and a 57-year-old, for instance.
Phones and social media
Smartphones have become one of the most popular ways to kill time in modern society. Whether it’s playing games on your morning commute or reading the news from your armchair in the evening, they’re used by almost everyone for almost everything. It’s no surprise then, that Pew Research found that 92% of Millennials own a smartphone.
And Baby Boomers? More than you would think. The same study found that 67% of Baby Boomers also own a smartphone. 52% of them own a tablet device, compared to a marginally higher 54% of Millennials. The number of Baby Boomers using social media is also on the rise, increasing to 57% from 40% in 2012, compared to a slower rise of 81% to 85% for Millennials.
Gambling
Gambling is one of the most popular industries across the world. Surprisingly, that isn’t something that’s generational. Instead, Millennials simply prefer to bet online. Research by YouGov found that 47% of adults aged 18-34 found land casinos “depressing”, compared to just 38% of over 65s.
The same study also revealed that 50% of 18-34-year-olds favoured online gambling, while just 27% of over 65s said the same. With that in mind, it’s clear that online casino games, such as this site, are much more popular among Millennials, while the older generation would prefer to place a bet or use gaming machines in a bookies or a casino.
TV
Phones aside, gathering around the TV in the evening is something that’s relatively cross-generational. TVs became commonplace around the same time Baby Boomers reached adulthood, meaning they have spent most of their adult life with at least one TV in the home. Millennials, of course, have had TVs – probably more than one in the house – since they were born.
The main difference between the two generations is how they’re watching it. Millennials now watch more TV through streaming services like Netflix than they do through conventional TV broadcasts.
The verdict
Because of the different times they were brought into the world, Baby Boomers and Millennials are expected to be vastly different in a number of ways. However, a closer look at basic hobbies like TV and gambling shows that they’re actually very similar – they just access content in different ways. With more and more Baby Boomers using smartphones, it’s also clear the two generations are moving closer together over time…