In this Issue:

  • Winter 2018
  • Generations: People are living and working longer—changing the world
  • Six Generations Moving Forward Together
  • Crunch: Definining Generations
  • Foreword: How Are Generations Named?
  • The Generation Gap
  • Getting More From a Longer Life
  • Five Questions: Teaching the Next Generation
  • Lessons From the Greatest Generation
  • As the World Ages
  • Generation X and the American Dream
  • Millennials Aren’t Kids Anymore
  • View All Other Issues
Winter 2018: Generations
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine

As the World Ages: When Older Populations Become the Majority

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Trend Magazine

One of the great challenges facing the global order over the coming decades is the aging of the population. Most high-income countries have aged continuously over the past century. Driven by a combination of low childbearing rates and improved mortality rates, the average age of these countries has risen steadily. There are already more people older than 60 than youngsters under age 15 in Europe and North America, and by 2030, nearly half the population of Western Europe will be over 50, one-quarter over 65, and 13 percent over 75.

Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine

How Generation X Could Change the American Dream

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In the United States, many people have long believed that hard work and ambition determine economic success and that this country is exceptional at promoting opportunity from the bottom up. It is the essence of the American Dream—the idea that each subsequent generation will do better than the one that came before and that together a rising tide will lift all boats. But for many, the dream is fading. The Pew Research Center has found that just 37 percent of Americans believe children today will be financially better off than their parents, a lower share than in 21 other nations in a global survey.

Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine

The Millennials Aren't Kids Anymore

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Millennials, welcome to adulthood. The youngest members of this generation have now put adolescence in the rear-view mirror, and their story is no longer just about what’s next; increasingly, it’s about how this adult generation is reshaping public life in the country today.

Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine

Old Versus Young: The Cultural Generation Gap

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If demography is destiny, the United States—much more than its peers—is on the cusp of great change. That change is due to a deep cultural generation gap at play, which will alter all aspects of American society within the coming decade.

Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine Winter 2018
Trend Magazine

Getting More From a Longer Life

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As people live longer, the world has a chance at a Third Demographic Dividend—improving the lives of everyone.

Also Inside

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

Generations: People are living and working longer—changing the world

Welcome to the latest issue of Trend, from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Trend offers perspectives from eminent voices, in a range of disciplines, who are seeking to inform and improve our world.

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

Six Generations Moving Forward Together

Whatever moniker sticks, what we already know about these young people is that they are the sixth generation currently making their way in the world, joining the millennials, the Gen Xers, the baby...

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

Defining Generations

Thanks to increased life spans, there are at least six distinct generations living and working side by side in the United States today. Over time, they have earned names based on how they behave and the...

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

How Are Generations Named?

“Which generation am I in?” That’s one of the most frequent questions that I get, as a generations researcher—and the answer is not as straightforward as you might think.

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

Sydney Chaffee: Teaching the Next Generation

Sydney Chaffee, 34, was selected the National Teacher of the Year in 2017. For the past decade, she has been on the faculty at the Codman Academy Charter Public School in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where...

Trend Magazine

January 26, 2018

Lessons From the Greatest Generation

Like many of my contemporaries, I left high school straight for the military. It was during World War II, late in 1944. There was optimism about a positive outcome, but the Battle of the Bulge had just...