Generational Spending Habits

Abstract

The expectation of familiarity with technologies embedded in millennial lifestyle creates a sort of cultural lag, with older generations struggling to understand and use these technologies. However, older generations’ failure to accept new technologies, at least to some degree, would lead to social stagnation. From a populist standpoint, concerns of both generations deserve attention. Hypotheses contend that those in younger generations feel greater strain when using electronic payments than when using currency and that those in older generations feel greater strain when using currency than when using electronic payments. Data gathered from individuals of various ages and in various socio-economic statuses provided moderate, but not overwhelming, support for this contention. However, other, unanticipated, patterns emerge.