The generations quiz

American Demographics, Feb, 1996 by Susan Mitchell

THE QUESTIONS

1. People in which age group are most likely to moved in the last year?

(a) 20 to 24 (b) 30 to 44 (c) 45 to 64 (d) 65 or older

2. People in which age group are most likely to have moved out of state?

(a) 20 to 24 (b) 30 to 44 (c) 45 to 64 (d) 65 or older

3. Who is most likely to own a gun?

(a) 18 to 20 (b) 21 to 29 (c) 30 to 49 (d) 50 or older

4. Who is most likely to have that unions are a good influence on the nation?

(a) 18 to 24 (b) 30 to 34 (c) 50 to 64 (d) 65 or older

5. Households headed people of which age are most likely to include preschoolers?

(a) 20 to 24 (b) 25 to 34 (c) 35 to 39 (d) 40 to 44

6. Which households are most likely to include three or more children?

(a) 20 to 24 (b) 25 to 34 (c) 35 to 39 (d) 40 to 44

7. People of what age are most likely to feel that the influence of religion is declining?

(a) 18 to 29 (b) 30 to 49 (c) 50 to 64 (d) 65 or older

8. People front which age group make up the majority of people who work at home at least eight hours a week?

(a) 25 to 34 (b) 35 to 44 (c) 45 to 54 (d) 55 to 64

9. Who are the best customers for TVs, radios, and sound equipment?

(a) under age 25 (b) 25 to 34 (d) (c) 35 to 44 (d) 45 to 54

10. Women of which age are most likely to prefer a woman as their boss?

(a) 18 to 29 (b) 30 to 40 (c) 50 to 64 (d) 65 or older

11. Among full-time, year-round workers, which men (part I) and which women (part II) have the highest median incomes? (5 points each)

(a) 25 to 34 (b) 35 to 44 (c) 45 to 54 (d) 55 to 64

12. Men of which age (part I) and women of which age (part II) are most likely to smoke? (5 points each)

(a) 18 to 24 (b) 25 to 34 (c) 35 to 44 (d) 45 to 64

13. People in which age group are most likely to have at least a bachelor's degree?

(a) 25 to 34 (b) 35 to 44 (c) 45 to 54 (d) 55 to 64

THE ANSWERS

1. (a) The most moving experiences: The young are the restless. Thirty-five percent of people aged 20 to 24 and 30 percent of those aged 25 to 29 moved between March 1992 and March 1993. Most don't move much farther than a stone's throw, however. Over 60 percent of movers aged 20 to 64 moved to another home in the same county. [Source: Census Bureau, 1994]

2. (d) Most likely to flee the state. The young may be the biggest movers, but when the old get going, they are more likely to keep going until they have cleared the state line. While 26 percent of movers aged 65 or older moved to another state, only 17 percent of those aged 20 to 24 got that far. [Census Bureau. 1994]

3. (a) Most likely to be armed. The youngest adults, aged 18 to 20, are the biggest guntoters. Nearly half (48 percent) own a firearm, up from 34 percent in 1974. In that year, the most-armed group was aged 30 to 49. [Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994]

4. (a) Most likely to look for the union label. The generation least likely to belong to a union is the most likely to believe they are good for the country. Only 6 percent of Xers (aged 16 to 24) are union members, but 70 percent of 18-to-24-year-olds believe unions are a good influence. Older workers are more likely to say that unions are good for them personally, but less likely to say they are good for the nation as a whole. Nearly one-fourth (23 percent) of 45-to-54-year-olds are union members, while 46 percent believe unions are a good influence. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1995; and Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press, 1992]

5. (b) Best place to find toddlers. The patter of little feet (children under age 6) is most likely to be heard in households headed by people aged 25 to 34. Forty-one percent of their homes include preschoolers. But if you don't care how old the kids are, check out households headed by people aged 35 to 44. Seven in ten include children of any age. [Census Bureau, 1994]

6. (c) Best place to find kits of kids. They don't make families like they used to, at least when it comes to size. But some boomers are doing their part to keep up population growth. Almost one in four married-couple households headed by boomers aged 35 to 39 has three or more kids under age 18 at home, as do 20 percent of those headed by 30-to-34-year-olds. [Census Bureau, 1994]

7. (b) Most likely to believe God is dead. Reading all that Nietzsche in college left a lot of baby boomers believing God is at least in the infirmary. Eighty-three percent of people aged 30 to 49 believe the U.S. is losing its religion. Least likely to agree are teens aged 18 and 19, only 59 percent of whom think the influence of religion is declining. [The Gallup Poll Monthly, 1994]

8. (b) Most likely to be grumpy about tax teas on home offices. Perhaps older people do their best work in a bathrobe. Seven percent of workers aged 65 or older work at home for pay at least eight hours a week, a higher percentage than any other age group. But if you're marketing to home workers, boomers are a better bet. Workers aged 35 to 44 account for 31 percent of people who work at home. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1994]

9. (d) Best customers for an awesome sound system. Bet you thought it was young people, heh-heh, heh-heh. Well, Beavis, you're wrong. It takes big bucks to fork out big dough for electronics. Households headed by 45-to-54-year-olds spend 75 percent more than average on TVs, radios, and sound equipment. Everybody else, except for those aged 35 to 44, spends less than average. [Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1993]