"...Today's young people, reared at the meeting point of two great streams of change -- technological and social -- are responding with a central unifying ethic all their own: that of choice. Born at a time when they had more choices to make with fewer restructions than ever before in history and bred with an overwhelming desire to make these decisions for themselves in every part of their lives, the 90 million Americans between the ages of 5 and 30 might well be dubbed the "Choice Generation." For them, having and making choices is not just a question of process, not just a luxury when ordering from a restaurant menu, not just bubbling in the right Scantron space on a multiple-choice test. It reflects their sense of self-confidence, their expectation that the world can be conformed to their to their individual personalities, and their believe in taking responsibility for themselves and their community. Exercising choice defines their outlook in no uncertain terms. Choice is an end, not just a means.

Who is the Choice Generation? The Choicers are defined not by their common ages, but a common age - a moment in time when dramatic changes are not just accepted, but expected. Compared to any other cohort in history, they have grown up in a world that has radically expanded the number of choices they get to -- and have to -- make. The sociologist Alan Wolfe has written that 'the general feeling in America is that you are middle class if you say so.' Similarly, you are a member of the Choice Generation if you say so -- if the world of largely unfettered choices in lifestyle and due to technology is familiar; if the demand for personalized decision-making power when working and shopping is second-nature..." --The Next Deal: The Future of Public Life in the Information Age, Andrei Cherny (2000).

Patricia Wayne | Brand Marketing & Public Relations