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Generation Jones

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Members of Generation Jones
Prince, born 1958
Kamala Harris, born 1964

Generation Jones is the social cohort[1][2] worldwide[3] of the latter half of the baby boomer generation to the first year of Generation X.[4][5][6][7] The term Generation Jones was first coined by the American cultural commentator Jonathan Pontell, who identified the cohort as those born from 1954 to 1965 in the U.S.,[8] who were children during Watergate, the oil crisis, and stagflation rather than during the 1950s, but slightly before Gen X.[9][10]

Unlike "Leading-Edge Boomers", most of Generation Jones did not grow up with World War II veterans as fathers, and, as they reached adulthood, there was no compulsory military service and no defining political cause, as opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War was for the older boomers. Their parents' generation was sandwiched between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boomers.[11] Also, by 1955, a majority of U.S. households had at least one television set,[12] and so unlike Leading-Edge Boomers born from 1946 to 1953, many members of Generation Jones (trailing-edge boomers) have never lived in a world without television—similar to how many members of Generation Z (1997–2012)[13][14] have never lived in a world without personal computers or the internet,[15] or mobile phones.[16] Generation Jones were children during the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s and were young adults when HIV/AIDS became a worldwide threat in the 1980s. The majority of Generation Jonesers reached maturity from 1972 to 1979, while younger members came of age from 1980 to 1983, just as the older Baby Boomers had come of age from 1964 to 1971.

The name "Generation Jones" has several connotations, including a large anonymous generation, a "keeping up with the Joneses" competitiveness and the slang word "jones" or "jonesing", meaning a yearning or craving.[17][18][19] Pontell suggests that Jonesers inherited an optimistic outlook as children in the 1960s, but were then confronted with a different reality as they entered the workforce during Reaganomics and the shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, which ushered in a long period of mass unemployment. Mortgage interest rates increased to above 12 percent in the mid-eighties,[20] making it virtually impossible to buy a house on a single income. De-industrialization arrived in full force in the mid-late 1970s and 1980s; wages would be stagnant for decades, and 401Ks replaced pensions, leaving them with a certain abiding "jonesing" quality for the more prosperous days of the past.

Generation Jones is noted for coming of age after a huge swath of their older brothers and sisters in the earlier portion of the Baby Boomer population had; thus, many note that there was a paucity of resources and privileges available to them that were seemingly abundant to older Boomers. Therefore, there is a certain level of bitterness and "jonesing" for the level of doting and affluence granted to older Boomers but denied to them.[21]

The term has enjoyed some currency in political and cultural commentary, including during the 2008 United States presidential election, where Barack Obama (born 1961) and Sarah Palin (born 1964) were on the presidential tickets. As of 2023, the current and preceding vice presidents, Kamala Harris (born 1964) and Mike Pence (born 1959) respectively, are members of Generation Jones.[22]

Cultural, economic, and political dimensions

While charismatic leaders like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. inspired millions of older Boomers to work for—and witness—positive social change, younger Boomers were in preschool or not yet born. The Woodstock pop festival (1969) was a defining moment for older Boomers; younger Boomers have few memories from before the Watergate scandal (1972–1974) and the cultural cynicism it begat. While in high school, members of Generation Jones had a distinct feeling of having just missed the real hippie era.

Many came of age during the 1970s and early 1980s. They shared similar pop culture and MTV with Gen Xers. They were young adults navigating the workforce in the 1980s and 1990s but still felt the 2008 economic crisis. This hit them hard because they had to help and advise their older Millennial children while also providing for their younger Gen Z kids.

Generation Jones has been covered and discussed in newspapers, magazines, TV, and radio shows.[23][24][25][26] Pontell has appeared on TV networks such as CNN, MSNBC, and BBC, discussing the cultural, political, and economic implications of this generation's emergence.[27][28][29]

In the business world, Generation Jones has become a part of the strategic planning of many companies and industries, particularly in the context of targeting Jonesers through marketing efforts.[30][31][32][33][34][35] Carat UK, a European media buying agency, has done extensive research into Generation Jones consumers.[36][37]

Politically, Generation Jones has emerged as a crucial voting segment in US and UK elections.[38][39] In the U.S. 2006 congressional and 2004 presidential elections, and the 2005 U.K. elections, Generation Jones's electoral role was widely described as pivotal by the media and political pollsters.[6][24][40][41] In the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, Generation Jones was again seen as a key electoral segment because of the high degree to which its members were swing voters during the election cycle. Influential journalists, like Clarence Page[38] and Peter Fenn,[39] singled out Generation Jones voters as crucial in the final weeks of the campaign.[42] Numerous studies have been done by political pollsters and publications analyzing the voting behavior of Gen Jonesers.[43][44] Generation Jones voters are likely to contain the highest proportion of Brexit voters.

The election to the presidency of Barack Obama, born in 1961, plus Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, born 1964, focused more attention on Generation Jones. Many journalists, publications, and experts – including Jonathan Alter (Newsweek),[45] David Brooks (The New York Times) and Karen Tumulty (Time) – have characterized Obama as a member of Generation Jones.

Key characteristics assigned to members are pessimism, distrust of government, and general cynicism.[43][46]

In Pontell's opinion, US Jonesers shifted left in 2020, which he attributed to Trump's response to the COVID-19 crisis and Trump's mocking of Joe Biden's senior moments. "There are lots of seniors out there that also have senior moments," Pontell says. "They don't really like the president mocking those one bit."[47]

See also

References

  1. ^ Howe, Neil (December 7, 2008). "Who is the Real 'Dumbest Generation'?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Hendricks, Jon (March 1, 2012). "Considering Life Course Concepts". The Journals of Gerontology. B. 67B (2): 226–231. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr147. PMID 22391748.
  3. ^ Pontell, Jonathan (April 3, 2009). "Generation Jones and the new era in global leadership". Politico. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
  4. ^ Jensen, J. B. (2007). Future consumer tendencies and shopping behaviour: The development up until 2015-17. Research paper No. 1. Denmark: Marianne Levinsen & Jesper Bo Jensen. pp. 13–17. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013.
  5. ^ Seigle, Greg (April 6, 2000). "Some Call It 'Jones'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 28, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Press Release: Generation Jones is driving NZ Voter Volatility". Scoop Independent News (NZ). September 13, 2005. Retrieved February 18, 2007.
  7. ^ Wastell, David (October 15, 2000). "Generation Jones comes of age in time for election". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  8. ^ Williams, Jeffrey J. (March 31, 2014). "Not My Generation". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "Jump up". The Frederick News-Post. December 19, 2008. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2010.
  10. ^ "In Obama, many see an end to the baby boomer era". Chicago Sun-Times. January 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  11. ^ Buck, Stephanie (November 3, 2017). "This niche generation within the Baby Boom is a highly coveted—and persuadable—voting bloc".
  12. ^ Stevens, Mitchell. "History of Television". New York University.
  13. ^ Burclaff, Natalie. "Research Guides: Doing Consumer Research: A Resource Guide: Generations". guides.loc.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  14. ^ Bureau, US Census. "2019 Data Show Baby Boomers Nearly 9 Times Wealthier Than Millennials". Census.gov. Retrieved February 18, 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  15. ^ A majority of U.S. households had PCs by 2000 and the internet by 2001; see: File, Thom (May 2013). Computer and Internet Use in the United States (PDF) (Report). Current Population Survey Reports. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  16. ^ A majority of all U.S. adult survey respondents reported having mobile phones by 2002; see: Tuckel, Peter; O'Neill, Harry (2005). Ownership and Usage Patterns of Cell Phones: 2000-2005 (PDF) (Report). JSM Proceedings, Survey Research Methods Section. Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association. p. 4002. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Anne, Braly (January 18, 2009). "'Generation Jones' soon to have its man in Washington". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
  18. ^ Button, Eileen (April 5, 2009). "Generation Jones has a few good reasons to be suspicious of technology". The Community Newspapers.
  19. ^ Stuart Wells, Amy (March 4, 2009). "Commentary - From Obama's Generation The Audacious Hope of More Racially Diverse Public Schools". Education Week.
  20. ^ "FreddieMac - 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgages Since 1971". November 7, 2021.
  21. ^ Pontell, Jonathan (2007). "Generation Jones". The Jonathan Pontell Group. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  22. ^ Wiltz, Teresa (October 7, 2020). "What Prince Tells Us About Kamala Harris". Politico. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  23. ^ Lang, John (January 8, 2000). "Generation Jones: Between the Boomers and the Xers". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on January 15, 2005.
  24. ^ a b Rowan, David (May 2005). "A guide to electionspeak". Archived from the original on April 7, 2007.
  25. ^ "Political analyst Jonathan Pontell on what political party different generations vote for and why". Talk Radio News Service. October 30, 2006. Archived from the original on September 11, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  26. ^ Aguilar, Louis (December 2000). "Many in the 35-46 Age Bracket Identify with 'Generation Jones'". Denver, Colorado: The Denver Post.
  27. ^ Generation Jones discussion on CNN day before ElectionDay'08. YouTube. January 15, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  28. ^ Generation Jones conversation on Canada's most popular national TV talk show. YouTube. February 27, 2009. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  29. ^ Ollivier, Debra (December 15, 2011). "So You Think You're A Boomer? Think Again". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  30. ^ Campanelli, Melissa (September 20, 2007). "How to Reach 'Generation Jones' Online". eMarketing & Commerce. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  31. ^ Wells, Ellen C. (September 2005). "Keeping Up With The Jonesers" (PDF). Today's Garden Center: 44–45. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
  32. ^ Green, Brent (2006), Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers, Paramount Market Publishing, ISBN 978-0-9766973-5-0
  33. ^ Welch, Jim; Bill Althaus (2007). Grow Now. The Growth Leader, Inc. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-934144-02-2.
  34. ^ Stroud, Dick (2007). The 50 plus market. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 314. ISBN 978-0-7494-4939-1.
  35. ^ "Toops Scoops: Keeping up with the Jonesers". foodprocessing.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  36. ^ "Who is Generation Jones?". Project Britain. Carat UK. Archived from the original on February 15, 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  37. ^ Dutta, Kunal (January 23, 2006). "Carat taps into singleton spending". MediaWeek. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
  38. ^ a b Page, Clarence (October 22, 2008). "Generation Jones is in play". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  39. ^ a b Fenn, Peter (October 23, 2008). "Why the 'Generation Jones' Vote May Be Crucial in Election 2008". The Hill's Pundits Blog. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  40. ^ "Key to election is 'keeping up with Joneses'". epolitix.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  41. ^ "Pollster says Generation Jones tipped election for Bush". publicradio.org. December 9, 2004. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  42. ^ Paulsen, David (October 26, 2008). "Attention GenY'ers! Talk To Your Parents! Don't Let GenJonesers Vote Against Themselves!". Politics. The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  43. ^ a b Rentoul, John (April 10, 2005). "Introducing Generation Jones voters who hold the key to No 10". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on May 23, 2009.
  44. ^ "Generation Jones Women are Swing Voters". Rasmussen Reports. October 27, 2004. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  45. ^ Alter, Jonathan (February 11, 2008). "Twilight of the Baby Boom". Newsweek. Retrieved December 7, 2008.
  46. ^ Derbyshire, David (November 24, 2004). "Generation Jones is given a name at last". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  47. ^ Boylan, Jennifer Finney (June 23, 2020). "Opinion | Mr. Jones and Me: Younger Baby Boomers Swing Left". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
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