Historical and Empirical Evidence for the Schism in the Millennial Generation (Part 1)

Abstract

Abstract The article applies a sociological approach to the study of different generations. The author, who has previously studied Millennials, now divides the generation into two age groups. The author identifies a special group of “3S” Millennials (standing for “smartphones,” “social networks,” and “slowing economy”) who have come of age during the period since 2008, which has been characterized by the long decline of the Russian economy and the massive spread of new technologies and digital user services. Data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey of the Health and Economic Welfare of the Population conducted by the National Research University Higher School of Economics (1994–2018) are used. The study shows that while Millennials are different in many ways from other generations, members of the generation also differ from each across multiple social characteristics. Part one of the article, which is published in this issue, shows that younger 3S Millennials started using new digital technologies at an earlier (adolescent) age and also continue to use them more often. They are better educated and also have more educated parents. They are more likely to delay important decisions associated with adulthood (marriage, first pregnancy and childbirth, and entry into the labor market). Many intergenerational and intragenerational differences remain significant even after introducing standard control variables and when neighboring generations are adjusted to a similar median age.