Jomart Aliyev Three letters about the difference between generations 27.05.2023, 08:16

It is believed that people who have witnessed or participated in the same event of the current history, and who are close to each other, evaluate them in the same way. As a result, they largely share their unique concepts and beliefs. At the same time, the panels of such values ​​​​are different if the age difference is several decades or more. Then they talk about generations; there are three of them today – traditional X, millennials Y and buzzing Z. that’s the hypothesis.

We have been placed in a time when it is important and appropriate to reassess the applicability of all Western theories imported to us over the past three decades. So how international are Strauss and Howe’s ideas? Do they work in Russian realities? And if so, what values ​​are the three (or three?) generations of our compatriots bearers of?

These questions are answered by a study conducted by a group of scientists from the Russian State Social University. The “Anthology of Social Situations: The ABCs of Generations X, Y, Z” is the first study in the country based on the geosocial approach. The subject of the study was the behavioral responses of people in different life situations, more broadly in different areas of life.

60 such regions have been identified, covering 95% of our daily life. To assess the scale of coverage of standard situations, let’s say that the selected areas include public transport, the notary’s office, dance floors, and funeral homes. In each selected region, the experts created at least 12 typical situations, for each of which the responses of generations X, Y, Z were evaluated separately and their differences were examined. In total, more than 4,000 people living in Moscow and the Moscow region were interviewed. This is the uniqueness of the study: it has no analogues, neither in Russia nor in the world, in terms of the scope of the interviewees, the range of questions and the computational model used to analyze the answers.

What conclusions did the RSSU scientists come to?

The first and main conclusion – the applicability of the theory of generations to Russian society has been quantitatively confirmed. At the same time, mathematically reliable generational boundaries are obtained: generation X includes people born between 1960-1981, generation Y – those born in 1982-1996, generation Z – those born in 1997-2006.

Since studies at this stage only include residents of the metropolitan agglomeration, the hypothesis that the generational identities of those living in rural areas and/or small towns may be slightly different is subject to additional verification.

If we summarize the summary findings, we can say that the X generation is more systematic than the Y generation, and the Z generation believes in themselves much more than they do. That is, representatives of the older generation, confident in the system, if possible build it in their living quarters, but Z are mainly self-confident individualists.

The hardest thing is with millennials, whose growth years fell in the late 90s – early 2000s. Russian millennials do not share their parents’ love of consistency, but they did not become bright carriers of individuality either.

In the field of economic self-determination, generations Y and Z are more willing than parents to stand up for their rights; this may indicate a self-confidence strategy with less acceptance of tasks. Comparing the data made it possible to reveal that today’s youth lack patriarchal feelings and plan their future more clearly.

The reactions of the three generations are at least similar in the fields of recreation and sports. For example, while the atmosphere in which they are listened to is important to Generation X, younger generations focus their attention on service, music and comfort level.

At the same time, the greatest consolidation of views is observed in areas of life that are directly related to life activity (places of residence, professional and social activities). This may indicate that all three generations felt the need for approximately equal security, moreover collective group security. For all, the priority of the family or the work collective over the situational groups associated with the leisure place is fixed. It turns out that in some areas of life, even among zoomers, the interests of “family” are often higher than the interests of friends.

Overall, the generational differences did not appear to be as large as they appeared at the beginning of the study. Representatives of generations X, Y, Z seem to be a fairly solid group, without radical generational gaps. This allows us to trust that the main semantic orientations of Russian civilization have been preserved and are still transmitted from generation to generation with some success.

This result does not mean that there are no significant differences. On the contrary, within the framework of the study, regions that require more in-depth study of behavioral determinants were identified, and their clustering and frequency analyzes were conducted in a way that led to such immersion and continuation.

For all its essential nature, the work can provide ample food for thought and practical use for entrepreneurs and marketers, and can provide an expanded, measured view of intergenerational choices in all aspects of life. In the context of import substitution, trade, entrepreneurship and industry clearly need such new information. obtained by RSSU scientists during the study.

Generational research will undoubtedly continue at RSSU. The priority of their development at the next stage will be the study of behavior related to social time; in other words, we will primarily consider the reactions of generations in situations where people spend the most time. For example, to be online, which a modern Russian devotes up to six hours a day.

The second direction in the development of the Generations Anthology project is to focus on situations that maximize people’s personality traits. Conflicts are both constructive and destructive.

Finally, it is planned to examine the generations and their differences from a regional perspective. All relevant experts, for example residents of Arkhangelsk and Krasnodar, are aware of the differences in behavioral research. It is interesting to reliably determine what and quantify these differences. And also to test the hypothesis that regional differences are more important than generational differences.

We really have three active generations; and they are actually different. But they (we!) have more than one. It is this unity that guarantees our future. As you know – all people are different, that’s why we are strong!

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.