The generational split has reached a fever pitch, and the numbers tell a stark tale. In a preregistered study, we found that Millennials are more concerned that the Baby Boomer generation delayed their transition of power and opportunities in response to realistic threats. In contrast, the Boomers are afraid that Millennials threaten traditional values.
Increasing tension between Millennials, Gen Z, and older generations is a trend that even subsets of Pew reports and academic studies have recognized, typically attributed to economic opportunities, financial insecurity, and a perceived unfairness. As we explore these 11 reasons, the tension spans the range from responding to climate change to adapting to digital. It leads to workplace friction that costs companies in lost productivity. It is a generational divide that has elevated family dinners into battlegrounds and social media into echo chambers of intergenerational blame.
Housing Market Monopoly
Baby Boomers own 52% of the total wealth in America; however, many of them refuse to downsize from the homes they bought decades earlier at far lower prices.
This translates to a limited supply of affordable housing for the next generation, prices that are pushed upward, and even obstruction of homeownership. As a result, Millennials and Gen Zers often find themselves renting or putting off significant life changes, such as starting a family. According to the National Association of Realtors, Boomers own 38% of all single-family homes, but they account for only 21% of the population.
Climate Change Denial and Inaction
Even with an overwhelming scientific consensus, Baby Boomers continue to express doubts about human-caused climate change, whereas Gen Z is more inclined to support it. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication found that Boomers are 42% less likely to support renewable energy policies that could potentially result in higher energy bills.
This resistance has tangible implications and states with a greater number of Boomers have a correspondingly slower rate of adopting solar energy programs. Take Florida, for example, where Boomer-heavy voting districts have scotched offshore wind projects despite the state experiencing heightened hurricane intensity. Kid environmental activists have to watch as their future quite literally burns, while voters prioritize short-term economic comfort over long-term planetary survival.
Technology Resistance in the Workplace
Education-technology experts say that Baby Boomers sometimes have difficulty using online platforms — not necessarily because they can’t, but because they don’t want to or because the design doesn’t align with their preferred learning style.
70% of Generation Z (those aged 18-25) think new working conditions have improved personal connections with colleagues, compared to only 30% for people aged 56 and over (the Baby Boomers). The pandemic starkly highlighted the generational divide: departments rich in Boomers were slower to adopt remote work, forcing colleagues to adapt to outdated communication preferences.
Healthcare System Drain
Older consumers often prioritize healthcare, but resist preventive care that can reduce costs in the long term. Baby Boomers are a significant consumer group of healthcare, creating substantial demand for hospitals and long-term care. By 2030, the older baby boom cohort is expected to augment hospital utilization to a greater extent than population growth. Emergency rooms across the country are overpacked because many Baby Boomers use them as their primary care, which raises costs for everyone.
Social Security and Medicare Burden
As it stands now, Social Security reserves will run out by 2034, and this is younger people, not Boomers, who are averse to benefit changes that could make the system more sustainable. According to the Social Security Administration, maintaining current benefit levels would require a 29% increase in the combined payroll tax —a 3.6 percentage point increase —which would fall disproportionately on younger workers.
Medicare faces some of the same challenges, with spending expected to exceed revenue as the population ages. These programs are on the verge of insolvency unless historic changes are implemented, passing the buck to the younger generation.
Political Voting Patterns
Boomers turn out at 70.9% rates — compared to millennials at 46.1% — and wield disproportionate political power despite their shrinking share of the population. Their voting habits on issues of doctrine tend to favor policies and practices that defend the rights of those who have long enjoyed accumulated wealth at the expense of newer generations.
There is a gap in voter turnout that has helped shape a political environment skewed in favor of the interests of older voters. As a result, problems like climate change and student debt, which are likely to bear down more heavily on the younger voters, tend to get short shrift in policy debates.
Economic Policy Preferences
A report from the Philadelphia Fed, titled “Baby Boomers vs. Millennials Through Monetary Policy,” indicates that retirees and older households experience a larger increase in welfare from higher asset prices resulting from easy monetary policy.
However, given that lower rates boost bond prices and the value of stocks, which helps Baby Boomers far more than younger generations, creates a pernicious cycle in which monetary policy currently serves existing wealth holders at the expense of new market entrants.
Workplace Hierarchy Resistance
A ResearchGate study on multigenerational collaboration found that employees younger than 35 generally had a clear preference for flexible digital communication and informal cooperation. At the same time, 55% of Baby Boomers and Gen X preferred formal meetings and written methods of communication. That resistance also applies to telecommuting, flexible hours, and performance measures based on results rather than managing by the clock, which younger recruits find attractive.
Cultural Adaptation Resistance
Diversity efforts are 52% more likely to encounter resistance in companies with the highest proportion of Baby Boomers, according to data from the Society for Human Resource Management.
Companies report spending 38% more on conflict resolution in departments with significant age differences. Cultural evolution needs to adapt, but the need for that also makes many Baby Boomers feel personally attacked, rather than just a necessary course correction for business.
Retirement Timing and Workforce Impact
The Pew Research Center’s “Older Workforce” report (2023) reveals that the proportion of employed Americans aged 65 and older has almost doubled, from 11% in 1987 to 19% by the early 2020s, reflecting a gradual increase in late-career work in senior roles.
This phenomenon was exacerbated by the economic downturn in 2008, when many Boomers depleted their savings in retirement accounts and decided to work for additional years instead of cutting back on their lifestyle. The upshot is bottlenecks on the promotional track for talented young workers seeking a way into the next step of their careers.
Media Consumption and Information Sharing
A 2018 Pew analysis showed that younger Americans are significantly better at distinguishing factual information from opinions than their elders. It’s in this context that misinformation and disinformation flourish, impacting political debate and public health policy. Facebook users aged 65 and older shared nearly seven times as many fake news articles as the youngest age group (those between 18 and 29 years old), creating echo chambers that shape voting and policy support.
Key Takeaways
The tension between Boomers and younger generations may be symptomatic of deeper structural challenges that demand understanding, not recrimination. Economic indicators, voting behavior, and consumption numbers indicate that genuine anxiety exists on both sides, but this can only be addressed through cooperation, not confrontation. Boomers had it good, stockpiling wealth and political power during particularly favorable times, but today’s younger Americans face challenges unlike anything their parents faced, requiring very different policies and strategies.
The wealth disparity between the generations, the urgency of climate change, and the need for technological adaptation cannot be overcome by intergenerational malice and dismissiveness. The way forward is to acknowledge that both generations have valid perspectives informed by their differing historical legacies, and to identify common ground in everyone’s long-term interests.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information. It is not intended to be professional advice.
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
16 Grocery Staples to Stock Up On Before Prices Spike Again
I was in the grocery store the other day, and it hit me—I’m buying the exact same things I always do, but my bill just keeps getting higher. Like, I swear I just blinked, and suddenly eggs are a luxury item. What’s going on?
Inflation, supply-chain delays, and erratic weather conditions have modestly (or, let’s face it, dramatically) pushed the prices of staples ever higher. The USDA reports that food prices climbed an additional 2.9% year over year in May 2025—and that’s after the inflation storm of 2022–2023.
So, if you’ve got room in a pantry, freezer, or even a couple of extra shelves, now might be a good moment to stock up on these staple groceries—before the prices rise later.
6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
6 Gas Station Chains With Food So Good It’s Worth Driving Out Of Your Way For
We scoured the Internet to see what people had to say about gas station food. If you think the only things available are wrinkled hot dogs of indeterminate age and day-glow slushies, we’ve got great, tasty news for you. Whether it ends up being part of a regular routine or your only resource on a long car trip, we have the food info you need.
Let’s look at 6 gas stations that folks can’t get enough of and see what they have for you to eat.
