UMichigan Report Uses Strauss-Howe Dates to Frame the Story of Generation X

Last Updated: Oct. 27, 2011

Great Falls, VA – October 25, 2011 – The work of William Strauss and Neil Howe informs the methodology of “The Generation X Report,” the first in a series of reports examining this cohort from the University of Michigan’s Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY). Though popular literature agrees on a general time period for American generations, different sources use varying dates to mark the beginning and end of each cohort. LSAY defines Generation X as those born between 1961 and 1981, in accordance with the dates established by Strauss and Howe’s 1991 work Generations. This generation encompasses the 84 million Americans currently 30 to 50 years of age.

The next LSAY report on Generation X will be issued in January 2012.

The Longitudinal Study of American Youth is the longest-running longitudinal study of public school students ever conducted. It has been funded by the National Science Foundation since 1986 and is based out of the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan. Researchers collect data from students who track their performance on achievement tests and respond to questionnaires about their educational and occupational goals throughout middle school, high school, and beyond. So far, the sample includes more than 4,000 current and former students.

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