Understanding the Greta Effect

I've found that each successive generation carries with it a unique set of characteristics, which have been shaped by particular sets of cultural experiences and influences.

Each generation rebels against certain traits of the preceding generation, seeing its role as making up for the deficiencies of its elders.

Much is written about the Millennial cohort - aka Generation Y. Its oldest members are now approaching early middle age. They are, generically speaking, located somewhere between the ages of twenty and thirty-five.

However, relatively little is written about Generation Z, which is fast making its move on the outside track.

I prefer to call it Generation Edge, for two reasons. First, the 'Z' designation ties them too closely to Gen X and Y that went before.

Second, they stand on the edge of some of the greatest challenges and opportunities to face humankind in the past century or more.

To anyone aged over forty, Millennials and Edgers may look much the same. They are not.

Unlike Millennials, Edgers generally display low levels of trust in institutions. They've grown up watching banks being bailed out by taxpayers, while their CEOs collect record bonuses.

They read about mega-corporations that pay no tax, while their parents' earning power drops, despite their long working hours.

Global research suggests that Edgers are much less trusting of institutions than Millennials were at their age. They are more likely to distrust promises made by institutional leaders and are far less idealistic in their outlook.

Wary of political promises and grand-sounding dreams, their default outlook is pragmatic. The question they ask of any leader is this: 'How are you going to make the dream, the pledge, a reality?'

Despite impressions left by their global climate strikes, Generation Edgers are not for the most part rebellious for the sake of rebellion. They see themselves as reformers. Rebellion is a means to an end.