Talking about generations: 5 questions to ask yourself

Generations are increasingly central to public discussions about future policy and social relationships, but the term is often deployed in narrow or confused ways. This can fuel division between age groups rather than producing shared understanding or solidarity. Imprecise use of the concept also deflects attention from other pressing areas of societal tension. Generation is a useful and accessible term that engages people from a wide range of fields, but it should be used carefully.

The Generations Network was established in January 2020, with support from the Wellcome Trust, to bring different academic disciplines and policy-facing organisations into a discussion about how the concept of generation should be defined, and how it can be better used. We suggest, as a starting point, that those working with the concept of generation ask themselves these 5 questions:

1. What are you talking about?
2. Who are you talking about?
3. Where are you talking about?
4. Why are you talking about them?
5. Who are you talking to?