Do you speak the language of your Gen X clients?
What year do demographers traditionally identify as the start of Gen X?
As with all generational divides there's a bit of wiggle room, but 1965 is most commonly cited as the starting year for Generation X. Demographers also typically define the end of the generation as 1980 or 1981.
1955
1960
1965
1970
Which of these celebrity women is a member of Generation X
Julia Roberts was born in 1967, near the beginning of Generation X. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is only a few years older, but with a birthday in 1961, she's a baby boomer. Oprah, born in 1954 is also a baby boomer, while Gal Gadot, born in 1985, is a millennial.
ANGELA WEISS, Getty Images
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Vera Anderson Getty Images
Oprah Winfrey
Tommaso Boddi, Getty Images
Julia Roberts
Dia Dipasupil, Getty Images
Gal Gadot
What percentage of Gen Xers were in college in 1987?
According to the Pew Research Center, 43 percent of post high school Gen Xers were attending either a two-year or four-year college in 1987. This compares to 57 percent of Gen Zers were in college in 2018 and 52 percent of millennials in college in 2003.
12%
43%
59%
71%
Which of these celebrity men is a member of Generation X
Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson was born in 1972, right in the middle of Gen X. Meanwhile Jeff Goldbum, born 1952, is a baby boomer. Both Seth Rogan, born 1982, and Michael B. Jordan, born 1985, are millennials.
Theo Wargo, Getty Images
Jeff Goldblum
Aaron J. Thornton, Getty Images
Michael B. Jordan
Samir Hussein, Getty Images
Dwayne Johnson
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
Seth Rogan
As of 2021, what percentage of homebuyers were Gen Xers?
According to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Gen Xers made up 24 percent of homebuyers last year. That's less than millennials, but more than baby boomers.
5%
24%
39%
58%
What did Ronald Reagan famously tell Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to do in 1987?
Reagan traveled to West Berlin in 1985 and, in a speech, called on the Soviets to remove the wall that then divided the city. The line "Tear down this wall" came from the middle of the speech and is now regarded as one of the most famous comments from an American president. Gen Xers would have been children and young adults when Reagan delivered the speech, and when the Cold War finally ended.
Open your gulags
Release the hostages now
Tear down this wall
Disarm your nuclear weapons
Generation X is sometimes nicknamed what?
Generation X has been referred to as the "forgotten generation" thanks in part to its position between the baby boomers and millennials — which are both larger and thus command more attention from sectors such as advertising.
The Pessimistic Generation
The Forgotten Generation
The Prosperous Generation
The Woke Generation
What percentage of Gen Xers had children living at home in 2021?
According to NAR, 51 percent of Gen Xers had at least one child living at home last year. Of those, 24 percent had one child at home, 19 percent had two, and 8 percent had three or more.
51%
59%
62%
70%
How much did Gen Xer's median net worth fall during the Great Recession?
According to the Pew Research Center, the median net worth of Gen X households fell 38 percent between 2007 and 2010. That was a greater drop than either baby boomers or millennials experienced. However, Gen X is also the only generation that by 2016 had recovered and had a higher median household net worth than before the economic crisis.
4%
13%
27%
38%
How many people tuned in to watch the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981
Charles and Diana got married on July 29, 1981. It was one of the defining cultural moments of the early 1980s, and in total more than 750 million people around the world watched the event. To put that into context, the entire population of the U.S. at the time was only 226.5 million.
300 million
550 million
750 million
825 million
Sometimes you want to go
This question, and the correct answer, come from the theme song for Cheers, a massively popular sitcom that aired between 1982 and 1993. The show followed the misadventures of bar patrons in Boston, and helped set the stage for later hangout comedies such as Seinfeld, Friends and New Girl.
Where the world is more tame
Where everybody plays your game
Where everybody knows your name
Where everybody is the same
Talk to the hand
Well, you failed this quiz. You don't appear to know much about Gen X, which is a shame because they're a massive force in the world right now.
Slacker
You're not totally clueless, but it wouldn't hurt to bone up a bit on the generation that, along with millennials, is currently driving much of the housing market.
Tubular
You did pretty well here. You may not be a Gen Xer yourself, but you've at least binged enough Gen X TV shows on Netflix to know the basics.
Gnarly
You get Gen X. Perhaps you are a member of Gen X. Maybe you grew up hearing about Princess Diana and listening to Madonna. But either way, your familiarity with this generation should serve you well.