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Making the Case

A collection of research on cogeneration

We hope this collection of research from a wide variety of sources helps you make the case for increased collaboration across generations. If there are other studies we should know about, please send a note to [email protected].

Overview

Stanford Social Innovation Review: This 13-part series — covering topics including cogeneration in housing education, civic engagement, advocacy, national service, and more — shines a light on the breakthroughs, lessons, and barriers to both success and scale. Written by a mix of social entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and philanthropic leaders, the series aims to demonstrate how fresh thinking and new social arrangements hold the potential to make the most of an increasingly multigenerational society.
Meeting the Multigenerational Moment, 2021

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: This special issue of the open-access journal includes 13 peer-reviewed articles related to intergenerational programs and health. Topics include intergenerational relationships in the climate movement, intergenerational day centers, age-integrated social networks and health, a case study of Big and Mini (Aditi Merchant, the co-founder, is an Innovation Fellow alum), and more.
Intergenerational Programs and Health, 2021-2023

The Gerontologist: “In this article, we present arguments as to why universities in this country should expand the endeavors of the academy to serve students of all ages and operate as age-diverse communities. We believe that the rationale for necessary transformations must be articulated, understood, and accepted by university administrators, faculty, and students alike before changes will be undertaken in earnest.”
Making the Case for Age-Diverse Universities, Nancy Morrow-Howell, MSW, PhD, etc., 2020

Attitudes/Behaviors

NORC at the University of Chicago: “A sizable segment of the younger and older populations is hungry for opportunities not only for intergenerational connection, but cogenerational action — the chance to join forces in co-creating a better future. Just as striking is where the strongest of that strong interest resides: in young people and people of color across the age spectrum.” Findings “also reveal obstacles to acting on this interest, the surprising issues each generation selects as top priorities for cogenerational action, and which adults are most eager to get started.”
— CoGenerate, Cogeneration: Is America Ready to Unleash a Multigenerational Force for Good?, 2022

Work-Learn Institute: This survey, completed by 2,097 co-op students from the University of Waterloo, shows “Gen Z places the highest importance on jobs that offer work-life balance and employment security, and prioritizes employers who offer training and development and a culture that values individuality and equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Future Workforce Perspective Survey, 2023

We Are Family: “87% of respondents agree that youth have ideas and solutions that can improve or solve global issues. Yet only 19% agree that youth are currently given enough opportunities to lead and contribute.”
Collaborating Across Generations: Insights, Challenges, and Best Practices, 2023

Generations United & The Eisner Foundation: This Harris poll found that “92% of Americans believe intergenerational activities can help reduce loneliness across all ages. A strong majority of Americans (94 percent) agree that older people have skills or talents that can help address a child’s/youth’s needs and 89 percent believe the same about children and youth addressing the needs of elders….Americans were also clear that age segregation is harmful, finding that almost three quarters (74 percent) agree that “programs and facilities that separately serve different age groups prevent children/youth and older adults from benefiting from each other’s skills and talents.”
All in Together: Creating Places Where Young and Old Thrive, 2018

Co-Leadership

Candid: This research by Cathleen Clerkin, Ph.D., shows that “nearly a fifth of nonprofits, mostly small, are co-led.”
Co-leadership: A path to more diverse, sustainable nonprofits?, 2024

The Bridgespan Group: “In June 2023, The Bridgespan Group launched a year-long initiative called the Co-Leadership Learning Circle to support nonprofit leaders who are new to co-leadership roles. The purpose of the Learning Circle is threefold: to provide a place for peer learning, to support people just beginning their co-leadership journeys, and to share emerging best practices with other nonprofit executives and funders who are curious about this leadership model.”
Learning Through Co-Leadership, 2024
What Drives a Nonprofit to Choose Co-Leadership? (Part 1: Trust and Part 2: A Desire for a More Humane Way to Lead)

Demographics

Glassdoor: “Despite a softening labor market, Gen Z is poised to overtake Baby Boomers in the full-time workforce by early 2024 – a shift that has been long coming.”
Glassdoor’s 2024 Workforce Trends (analysis of Census/BLS data), 2024

Stanford Center on Longevity: This report examines the demographic data and implications of living in the “most age-diverse society in human history” with “equal numbers of people of every chronological age from 0 to 70+.” Still, the author writes, “cross-age relationships are extremely rare.”
— Sasha Shen Johfre, Report on Intergenerational Relationships, 2021

Friendship

AARP: “Nearly four in ten adults (37 percent) have a close friend who is at least 15 years older or younger than they are. People most often meet these friends at work (26%), in their neighborhood (12%), at church or temple (11%), or through mutual friends (10%).” In addition, “adults who have close intergenerational friendships are more likely to report having a positive attitude about aging (69%) than those who don’t have these types of friendships (64%).”
The Positive Impact of Intergenerational Friendships, 2019

American Psychiatric Association: In 2024, a poll released by APA found that 30% of Americans aged 18-34 say they’re lonely every day or several times a week.
Healthy Minds Monthly Poll, APA, 2024

Journal of the American Medical Association: “In 2023, a national poll reported that about 37% of older US adults (aged 50-80 years) experienced loneliness and 34% reported feeling socially isolated. Loneliness affected women more than men and was particularly common among individuals with poorer physical and mental health, those with a health condition or disability that limited daily activities, and those who were unemployed, lived alone, or were aged 50 to 64 years (compared with 65-80 years).”
Lauren B. Gerlach, Erica S. Solway, and Preeti N. Malani, Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults, 2024

Master’s Thesis: “[F]riendship between adults with more than 20 years of age difference confers unique benefits to both the older and younger individuals within them. Through a positive psychology lens, this paper reviews the literature on intergenerational friendship and identifies and explores key advantages of intergenerational friendships through a qualitative study of ten individuals in such friendships. Among many benefits, intergenerational friendships offer the younger half of friendship dyads authentic and durable acceptance, deeply meaningful mentorship, enthusiasm for niche hobbies, personal navigation, and a sense of pride in the relationship.”
Both Sides Now: Exploring the Unique Advantages of Intergenerational Friendship by Dana Beth Emanuel, Master of Applied Positive Psychology Program, University of Pennsylvania, 2023

Programs

BMC Public Health: “[O]ngoing intergenerational programs between older citizens and children can enforce neighborhood trust, thus strengthening a community’s intergenerational ties….Overall, ongoing intergenerational program implementation associates with building social capital, thereby strengthening potential intergenerational ties and promoting mutual support among local residents which will reduce or prevent social isolation among older.”
The impact of intergenerational programs on social capital in Japan: a randomized population-based cross-sectional study, 2019

The Journal of Positive Psychology: “Adolescents develop capacities for emotionally engaged social thinking that transcends concrete situations, enabling them to infer values, beliefs and broader perspectives with implications for themselves and the world. We examined how such transcendent thinking emerged and promoted purpose within a formative, intergenerational relationship….Results highlight the instrumental role of transcendence in adolescents’ development, and how meaning-making within close relationships may support psychosocial growth.”
— Rodrigo Riveros, Xiao-Fei Yang,Maria Jose Gonzalez Anaya & Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Sages and Seekers: The development of diverse adolescents’ transcendent thinking and purpose through an intergenerational storytelling program, 2023
— Greater Good Science Center, How friendships with elders help teens find purpose, 2025

Work

London School of Economics and Political Science, with Protiviti: This LSE survey of 1,450 employees in the UK and USA found that “friction between different generations was driving down productivity and that firms need to develop intergenerationally inclusive work practices. These include making it easier for each generation to ‘fit in’, developing and advancing people based on merit rather than age, and committing to a generationally diverse workforce.” Younger employees, and employees with larger age gaps with their managers, are more likely to report low levels of productivity.
Generations, Unlocking the Productivity Potential of a Multigenerational Workforce, 2024

Work Foundation (Lancaster University, UK): “[S]even in ten senior business leaders in Britain agreed that their organisation benefits from the diverse perspectives brought by a multigenerational workforce… [N]early nine in ten employees reported high productivity levels in firms where the employer had introduced intergenerationally-inclusive work practices, compared to around six in ten employees in firms without these practices.”
Working Together: Maximising the opportunities of a multigenerational workforce, 2024

Adaptavist Group: Researchers surveyed “4,000 knowledge workers across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Germany to understand both the pain points and untapped potential in intergenerational enterprises.” Key findings: “56% of workers find generational collaboration challenging.” “61% of workers believe generational conflict over digital tools is affecting productivity.”
Digital Etiquette: Mind the Generation Gap, 2024

Harvard Business Review: “Evidence shows that when time-tested DEI tools are used to bridge age divides, they can reduce conflict and generational stereotypes and improve organizational commitment, job satisfaction, employee turnover, and organizational performance.”
— Gerhardt, Nachemson-Ekwall, Fogel, Harnessing the Power of Age Diversity, 2022

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health: “Results of a path analysis suggest that intergroup contacts and knowledge-sharing practices are associated with positive attitudes about older workers. More so, positive attitudes about older workers generate higher levels of work engagement, which in turn are associated with stronger intentions to remain with the organization.”
— Martine Lagacé and others, Testing the Shielding Effect of Intergenerational Contact against Ageism in the Workplace: A Canadian Study, 2022

Deloitte: “Seventy percent of organizations say leading multigenerational workforces is important or very important for their success over the next 12–18 months, but only 10 percent say they are very ready to address this trend.”
The postgenerational workforce: From millennials to perennials, 2020 trends report

AARP: “​​Even though most employers worldwide [83%] recognize that their businesses benefit when employees from different generations work together, only half of these employers [53%] include age in their policies to improve diversity in their workforce.”
Employers Worldwide Often Exclude Age From Diversity Policies, 2020 survey of 6,000 employers

American Psychological Association: “[A]ge diversity was positively associated with organizational performance through the mediation of increased human and social capital. In addition, functional diversity and age-inclusive management amplified the positive effects of age diversity on human and social capital. Our research sheds light on how age-diverse workforces may create value through cultivating knowledge-based organizational resources (i.e., human and social capital).”
Leveraging age diversity for organizational performance: An intellectual capital perspective, APA PsycNet, 2022

World Economic Forum, AARP & OECD: “[T]he OECD estimates that age-diverse workforces will create a more efficient, productive and profitable economy and raise GDP per capita by almost 19% in the next three decades.”
How a Multigenerational Workforce is Key to Economic Growth, 2020

Forbes: “Decision-making teams with a ‘wide’ age range of 25 years or more from youngest to oldest team member met or exceeded expectations 73% of the time, while those with a ‘narrow’ range of less than 10 years did so only 35% of the time….Multi-generation decision teams were 2 times more likely to meet or exceed expectations…Multi-generation decision teams were 2 times more likely to meet or exceed expectations.”
Millennials, Gen Xers And Baby Boomers Make Better Decisions Together, 2018

Forbes: This “study analyzed approximately 600 business decisions made by 200 different business teams in a wide variety of companies over two years, using the Cloverpop decision-making database. Findings: “Inclusive teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time. Teams that follow an inclusive process make decisions 2X faster with 1/2 the meetings. Decisions made and executed by diverse teams delivered 60% better results.”
New Research: Diversity + Inclusion = Better Decision Making At Work, 2017, updated in 2021 (Full research findings)

LinkedIn: “New LinkedIn research shows that one in five Gen Zers haven’t spoken directly to someone aged 50+ in over a year at work, while 40% of those over 55 haven’t spoken to a Gen Z colleague – those aged around 27 or below – in the same period….[W]hile nearly three-quarters (74%) of professionals agree they can learn a lot from other age groups, nearly a fifth (17%) don’t know how to approach colleagues from different generations.”
LinkedIn News UK, 2024

Advisorpedia: “Research—our own included—indicates that the age diversity of a company’s board of directors may correlate with operational performance and shareholder returns, making a strong case for multigenerational boards….[N]early 70% of directors within S&P 500 companies represent a single generation—baby boomers. Moreover, only 5% of directors are under the age of 50.”
The Case for Multigenerational Corporate Boards, 2024

MetLife: “Gen Z employees experienced a 6%-point drop in holistic health in the past year. Compared to other generations, Gen Z reported higher levels of stress, depression, isolation, and burnout. Gen Z also reported a significant 8 percentage point drop in financial health as concerns related to savings, high interest rates and affordable housing weighed on the workforce’s youngest generation.”
Gen Z is not okay, MetLife workplace study says, MetLife Employee Benefit Trends Study, coming March 2025