5 Characteristics of Gen Alpha, the Greatest Generation Ever
Generation Alpha, the people born after 2010, is expect to be the largest generation ever. And will also have more impact than all previous generations. “It is not only an important target group because of its size (2 billion people in 2025), but especially because their parents are millennials,” says Joeri Van den Bergh, NextGen expert at Human8.
Together with Transfer, Human8 conduct research into Alphas in the Netherlands and Belgium. No less than 1200 children between the ages of 4 and 14 were involv. The research not only show that these Alpha children have 5 specific characteristics, but also that the parenting style of their parents (mainly millennials) plays a crucial role.
The Parenting Style of Millennials
Generation X was known for its so-call free range parenting . This involves giving children a lot of individual time and independence. Millennials are different. Joeri: “They do much more in consultation with their children, are more open to their personal development and therefore allow more influence on decisions in family life. As a result, Gen Alpha has a greater influence on family purchases than previous generations. Not only on children’s products, such as toys or clothing, but also on family purchases such as cars, holidays and electronics.”
5 Traits to Reach Generation Alpha
The research by Human8 and Transfer also show that Generation Alpha has the following characteristics:
#1 Digital natives: it is attribut to multiple generations, but generation Alpha really grew up with the iPad in their hands. 35% even have their own tablet, 27% their own laptop and 50% their own phone. 9 out of 10 say they like gaming, 4 out of 10 of the 7+’ers say they play Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite weekly. Technology and gaming are therefore really part of the lifestyle, something that brands often pay too little attention to.
#2 Purpose and meaning: this shows that Gen Alpha are russian email list 1.7 million contact leads truly mini-millennials: purpose and meaning around climate change, diversity and inclusion is an important part of society. This also affects the family: 1 in 4 asks their parents to save energy or recycle waste.
Also read: Meet the ‘once enough’ generation
#3 Mia use: almost every respondent indicat that they us YouTube weekly, slightly more than gaming. Advertisements on YouTube and on TV are important sources of inspiration to get to know products, for example for Christmas or Sinterklaas. In addition, 40% of 12 to 14 year olds say that they use e-commerce sites to ask their parents for products. Generation why you can really make an impact with purpose-driven marketing Alpha knows how to find these sites.
#4 Screen bonding: TV shows are still being watch, especially ao lists on demand via streaming. So TV remains important, partly due to the phenomenon of screen bonding . Generation Alpha likes to do things together, just like their millennial parents. They therefore see watching TV together as a moment of connection. 78% of parents watch TV with their children several times a week, with the children often deciding which programs are watch. Generation X saw screens as something negative that should be limit in terms of screen time for their Gen Z offspring. Millennials, on the other hand, do not limit screen time, but rather screen content. Millennials see screens as something you can learn from: 6 out of 10 parents say that gaming is good for their children. Previous generations thought differently about this and it explains why millennials give screens to their children at a relatively young age.
#5 Entrepreneurship: Generation Alpha has a strong interest in entrepreneurship. 44% has a strong interest in starting their own business. Among 12 to 14 year olds, this is even 57%.