Table 1. Selected Characteristics of the Cohorts

Table 1. Selected Characteristics of the Cohorts
Characteristic	Swing Cohort	Older Boomers	Younger Boomers	Generations X and Y
Years born	1928 to 1945	1946 to 1954	1955 to 1964	1965 to 1987
State of economy	Great Depression, followed by unprecedented growth	Post-World War II prosperity	Continued postwar prosperity	Downsizing, prosperity, and bust
Cohort experience	Post-World War II era	Vietnam War	Cold War	High technology
Core values	Adaptive personality	Idealistic, individuality	Personal fulfillment	Pessimistic, diversity, globalization
Buying habits	Quality for price	Spenders, brand loyal	Debt is part of their lifestyle	Skeptical consumers, products that are "cool"