Gen Z vs Millennials: Difference and Comparison

Generations have been a matter of discussion for quite a long time. A generation is a group of people born within a certain limit of time or certain categorized years.

There have been many generations since 1928, i.e., the silent generation, baby boomers, generation X, millennials, generation Z, and generation alpha.

Key Takeaways

1. Gen Z refers to individuals born between 1997 and 2012, while Millennials refer to individuals born between 1981 and 1996.
2. Gen Z is considered more tech-savvy and diverse than Millennials, while Millennials are considered more idealistic and politically active.
3. Gen Z is currently the youngest generation in the workforce, while Millennials are now the largest generation in the workforce.

Gen Z vs Millennials

Gen Z, also known as Generation Z or post-millennials, is the recent young generation and the oldest members are 23 years old while the youngest is 9 years old. Millennials are also called Gen Y and the oldest members of the generation are 40 years old while the youngest are 24 years old.

Gen Z is also referred to as post-millennials. Gen Z is the recent young generation, and the eldest members of the Gen Z family are individuals who are 23 years old.

The youngest members of the Gen Z family are the individuals who are 9 years old. Gen Z is characterized as a risk-taker.

While millennials are also referred to as Gen Y as they come between Gen X and Gen Z. The eldest members of the Millennial family are the individuals who are 40 years old.

The youngest members of the Millennials are the individuals who are 24 years old. They are characterized as atheists and materialistic.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Gen Z	Millennials
Year born	Between 1997 to 2012.	Between 1981 to 1996.
Support	They normalize and support everything, as they want to make a change in society.	They are learning to support and yet in some parts of the world they are still stereotypical.
Financial status	They are financially independent and secure from a young age.	Some section of Millennials are financially unstable.
Age group	As of now, they are between the age of 9 to 23 years old.	As of now, they are between the age of 24 to 40 years old.
Religion perspective	They are more open-minded regarding any religion.	They are mostly atheists and hold no clear perspective.

Who are Gen Z?

Generation Z, which is referred to as post-millennials, are also known as “zoomers. Gen Z is the recent young generation who were born between the years 1997 and 2012.

According to recent research, the youngest of a Gen Z family are the ones who are 9 years old, and the eldest of the Gen Z family are the ones who are 23 years old as of 2021. Gen Z came after the millennials and before generation alpha.

Generation Z is born with access to the internet, so they are more aware of texting, online research, and marketing from a young age. They are referred to as the “Snapchat generation.

Due to the availability of networks from a young age, Gen Z is more aware of the ongoing situation of the world around them.

There is a less surge of pregnancy during teenage and alcoholism among Gen Z. Gen Z is seen supporting the LGBTQ community and celebrating the “pride month” every year.

The generation is goal-oriented and knows to work smart while working hard. Due to exposure to smartphones, laptops, and TVs from a young age, Gen Z has a faster stimulus and can multitask.

Gen Z is unprejudiced by other religions even after belonging to a certain religion. They are more concerned and aware of their financial status as they start earning from a very young age.

According to reports, Gen Z starts earning by doing part-time jobs or internships from the age of 18 or even less.

Who are Millennials?

Millennials come after Generation X and just before Gen Z, and therefore, they are also referred to as Generation Y. The Millennials were born between the years 1981 and 1996.

The maximum age of a recent Millennial can be 40 years, and the minimum age of a Millennial can be 25 years. A large number of Millennials are atheist and politically baseless.

The millennials have a piece of innate knowledge about technology, as they got access to TVs, the internet, and cell phones when they started growing up.

They are very passionate about learning new kinds of stuff. The millennials give importance to social interactions at their workplace and are more into video calls rather than meeting in person, unlike Gen Z.

The millennials are very much open and free to positive changes. According to reports, Millennials are less financially independent. They are preceding Generation X regarding financial security.

A large number of Millennials are unemployed due to their lack of knowledge of earning from a young age. The Millennials are starting to support other communities like the LGBTQ community.

Unlike Gen Z, they are somewhat new to the idea of homosexual love and, in certain parts of the world, are finding it difficult to accept.

Millennial women face difficulty in finding sexual pleasure and also proper knowledge about mental health conditions during and before their periods. This is because of the taboo about sex and periods they faced during their early teenage.

Main Differences Between Gen Z and Millennials

1. Gen Z is less attentive due to the existence of technology, whereas the Millennials are very attentive during a conversation.
2. Gen Z is more open about versatile sexual preferences and less judgmental, whereas the Millennials show comparatively less versatility and acceptance.
3. Gen Z belongs to a religion and yet supports and respects other religions, whereas a large number of Millennials are atheists.
4. Gen Z is born after the millennials, and therefore, they are referred to as the “zoomers,” whereas the Millennials come between Generation X and Gen Z and therefore, they are referred to as Generation Y.
5. Gen Z is financially independent, i.e., they start earning at a young age, whereas a large of Millennials are financially unstable.

References

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0008125619841006
2. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1086482218804251

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023