Young leaders can often bring visibility and cultural clout. Older leaders can often bring resources, networks, and institutional power. Put them together and the potential is huge. But let’s be honest, it’s not always that simple. This session delivers a primer on...
As colleagues from different generations (x and millennial), Marci Alboher and Duncan Magidson have been leading talks and workshops sharing their insights about working across generations. As they plan, they usually text furiously, sharing ideas and reflections....
Art has the power to bring people together. In the Chicago area, Innovation 80’s CoGen initiative encourages and funds programs that forge meaningful relationships between younger and older generations as they create art together. What can programs like this one teach...
We’re proud to introduce you to a group of esteemed thought leaders, changemakers, entrepreneurs, researchers and organizers who are partnering with us to make cogeneration a powerful force in American life. These 11 CoGen Impact Fellows are thinking up (and lifting...
Do Older and Younger People Want to Solve the Nation’s Problems Together?
In these divided and difficult times, we wanted to know what Americans think about cogeneration — a strategy to bring older and younger people together to solve problems and bridge divides.
So we commissioned NORC at the University of Chicago to survey a nationally representative group of 1,549 American adults, aged 18 to 94, online and by phone, in March 2022.
The results are cause for optimism.
We found powerful and widespread enthusiasm about working across generations for change. We also found notable, and in some cases surprising, differences in perspective by generation and race. We found challenges and roadblocks, too.
People of all ages want to work across generations to help others and improve the world around them.
While interest is widespread, young people, and Black and Hispanic people of all ages, are especially keen to work across generations.
The fit is a powerful one: Young people want to learn from older ones; older people want to share what they know. And vice versa.
Older and younger people want to work together on some of the same issues — but there are striking differences by age and race.
Despite strong interest in working across generations, fully half of respondents cited a range of obstacles preventing them from acting on it.
Want to learn more?
Check out this discussion of the findings, hosted by Encore.org Co-CEOs Marc Freedman and Eunice Lin Nichols, and Boston College professor Cal Halvorsen.
“The overarching message from this study is clear,” write Encore.org Co-CEOs Marc Freedman and Eunice Lin Nichols. “America’s growing age diversity represents an extraordinary opportunity to come together in joy, understanding and action. Let’s seize it.”
Encore.org acknowledges the generous support of AmeriCorps Seniors, the M Center for Excellence, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation, and the John Templeton Foundation for their support of this research. Thanks also to the Eisner Foundation, the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust, RRF Foundation for Aging, New Pluralists, and MacKenzie Scott for their support of Encore’s work bringing generations together.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.