“the young have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for their elders and a love for chatter instead of exercise. Children began to become the tyrants of their households ……. They no longer rise for their elders ….”

Surely this must be a description of the modern Millennials, born between 1980 and 1995 . Baby Boomers by comparison are: " conservative, selfish, self- centred and spending their children’s inheritance". They were born between 1945 and 1965.

That is at least the theory. The idea that when you are born influences your attitudes for the rest of your life is a media best seller. All the better if a war between generations can be manufactured. “Generations” is a new book written by Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy at Kings College, London. I was lucky to hear him present last week. His point was clear that this theory is naïve. The attitude changes that do occur are continuous variables. To divide the generations into groups in this way is completely arbitrary. It owes far more to journalism than science. Even so, he stressed the importance of taking a generational view when looking at attitudes.

The Baby Boomers are a diverse group. So are all the other cohorts: “Pre-War”; “Generation X”; “the Millennials” and “Generation Z”. Their attitudes do not simply come from when they were born. Attitudes are influenced by a complex combination of factors. There are things that happen in a particular period. No one who lived through the 2008 financial crisis or COVID can argue that this has not affected their attitudes. There are lifecycle effects. We all grow older and pass through the different stages of life individually. Our attitudes must change when we buy a home or start a family. The quote at the top was written by Socrates about the youth of his day. Technically he would be in the “Pre-War” Generation. Perhaps this is too much of a stretch of the definition! The old always have problems with the young. Duffy would argue that is a good thing and keeps Society vibrant.

The interaction of the period, lifecycle and cohort effects influences our attitudes. His excellent book tries to pull these apart. He shows, for example, that attitudes towards religion do differ, across even the arbitrary generations categories. It does not matter where in the world you live. The older generation are more religious than other cohorts and were so in the 20’s, 30’s and beyond. They did not become religious when the aged. It is not a lifecycle effect. Other attitudes assumed to be tied to particular cohorts are in fact common across all. "Concern for the environment" is the same across cohorts and not a generational war between the young and old.

Age Segregation

One of his analyses raises an worrying trend: intergenerational segregation. The US was a highly age integrated country until very recently. Across towns , villages and cities the generations lived together. It is now more segregated by age than by ethnic group. Age based ghettos are emerging. This is not about retirement communities in the sun but the whole country.

The UK has undergone a similar separation. The generations have drifted apart geographically and it has happened very recently. There are 343 councils in the UK each responsible for a different area of the country. In 2001 most had the same age dependency ratio. The different generations were evenly mixed. There were only around 15 councils which had a ratio 10% above the national average. There was a similar number, 10% below. By 2015 that had changed dramatically. There are now 60 councils with an average age higher than Japan. There are another 23 that are young, in fact younger than Chile.

The “Millennials” and younger “Generation X” have migrated to the cities. The small towns and villages are now populated by “the Pre War”; “the Baby Boomers” and the rest of “Generation X” In the smaller towns and villages the birthrate has dropped. The young have left and few young people move there. The cities offer the prospect of jobs and opportunity. They have become newly fashionable. New overseas immigrants tend to base themselves in the cities. They are often younger.

“Familiarity Breeds Positive Feelings not Contempt”

The problem of course is that there is less and less contact between the generations. As that happens stereotypes are reinforced and polarized. Those stereotypes foster discrimination and ageism. There is lots of evidence supporting the benefits of better integration of the age groups. For the very old the presence of children has been shown to increase activity and stimulation. I watched a documentary in which a care home in Japan realized that they had a junior school as a neighbour. With the agreement of the residents it opened a sweet shop after school. The residents spent all day setting up the shop and making their sweets. The children loved the idea and enjoyed spending time with the older people. The residents thrived.

In a different age band, sheltered housing complexes are now being built close to major US Universities. Some are even within the campus. Part of the “deal” is that the residents can attend the classes and student events. They have been welcomed by the students and faculty alike. They offer a completely different perspective. They have also become healthier and more engaged.

The “Age Neutral” Service

In one way the geographic segregation will help businesses. It is easier for them to adapt to the emerging Third Age market. If there are fewer young people in a town then it is easier to adapt the cafes and restaurants for older customers. Age neutrality is less of an issue. However this will reinforce the age segregation. This is bad for Society and the wellbeing of all generational groups.

Age neutrality means defining services to be as attractive and easy to use for all age groups. In mixed age areas it is the secret to economic success for firms. Viewed through the lens of age segregation it is even more important. The coffee shops and restaurants, the supermarkets and the dry cleaners may soon become the only point of contact between the different generations.