Don't Forget About Gen X

Tyler Podcast Episode 3, Transcript

Our Tyler Technologies podcast explores a wide range of complex, timely, and important issues facing communities and the public sector. Expect approachable tech talk mixed with insights from subject matter experts and a bit of fun. Host and Content Marketing Director Jeff Harrell – and other guest hosts – highlights the people, places, and technology making a difference. Give us listen today and subscribe.

Episode Summary:

Jason Dorsey and Jeff Harrell discuss what Jeff claims is the greatest generation, Gen X. What this skeptical generation thinks about local government is surprising.

Transcript:

Jeff Harrell: It's all about Gen X, baby.

Jason Dorsey: Jeff just looks so much more professional than me. I feel out-gamed already. I feel like Gen X has shown up with proper equipment and millennials are winging it.

Jeff Harrell: From Tyler Technologies, it's The Tyler Tech podcast, where we explore issues facing communities today, in a way that's interesting and entertaining. I'm your host, Jeff Harrell and my promise to you is to help break through the clutter and provide great information in a format that's super easy to consume and have a little fun along the way.

Jeff Harrell: I can't believe we're already on part three of our four part series on the different generations. Today, Jason Dorsey and I talk about what I think is the greatest generation, Gen X. Full disclosure, I am Gen X and a product of the eighties. I love the eighties with our Members Only jacket and parachute pants. We'd skateboard on over to the Blockbuster and rent a VHS.

Jeff Harrell: I thought I'd remind a few of you though, how great the eighties were. So listen to this. How about music? Here's some of the biggest albums of the eighties, Michael Jackson's Thriller, U2's Joshua Tree, Bruce's Born in the USA, Pink Floyd's The wall, and of course Prince's Purple Rain. How about TV shows? Hill Street, Blues, Dallas. Who could forget Dynasty, Miami Vice, 60 Minutes and of course Cheers? But I think the movies of the eighties really shows how great of a decade that it was. E.T, Top Gun, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, the Empire Strikes Back and of course, Return of the Jedi. Well, now that you're in the eighties mindset, let's look forward in how Gen X engage with local government. Here's my interview with Jason Dorsey.

Jeff Harrell: We are back with Jason Dorsey for our third episode and if you missed the first two on Gen Z and Millennials, I highly, highly recommend checking them out. Just to introduce Jason really quickly, he is a bestselling author. He is a highly sought after speaker. And by the way, I have heard Jason speak, he is fantastic. He gets a standing ovation, I think pretty much every time. He is really the expert on generations. You will find him interviewed by all the major news networks and so we are very fortunate to have him here today. Jason, welcome.

Jason Dorsey: Thanks for having me back, Jeff, I'm fired up to be here with you and this has been a phenomenal series that we've done together. You're absolutely right. There are some great insights on Gen Z that you want to check out. Also, on Millennials, we shattered a whole bunch of myths and I'm fired up to jump in and talk about Gen X because no one talks about Gen X enough.

Jeff Harrell: Yeah. I'm super excited because as a Gen Xer, we get to talk about what I think everyone agrees is the greatest generation that is Gen X.

Jason Dorsey: I don't think anyone agrees with that except for Gen X, I just want to say that. But I am married to a Gen Xer, so I happen to personally agree with that, as a sample of one.

Defining Gen X

Jeff Harrell: Yeah, let's start at the top, Jason. When we say Gen X, what do we mean by Gen X?

Jason Dorsey: Sure. When we look at Gen X or roughly 1965 to 1976 ish. And if you missed out on our other podcast, go back and listen to how we talk about generations. Because we view them at our research center here, Center for Generational Kinetics, as clues and not a box. So when you hear birth years, what you need to know is we're not putting people in boxes based on the exact day you were born, but these are clues to better understand and faster connect with people. And you can be born on the edges of those generations, which happens a lot with Gen X and you're what we call a cusper. And that's somebody who has characteristics of the generation before and after. So you could be a mix of say Baby boomers and Gen X or Gen X and millennials.

Jason Dorsey: The key thing to know is right now, Gen X Is at a really career-defining moment. And this is so important for people who want to engage them. Gen X is at this stage where, when we talk to them, we do so much research with them, where they think they have one, two, maybe three career promotions left. They're deciding whether or not they want to stay with their current company and finish their career or go somewhere else. Many of them often have kids, those kids are increasingly older, so they're dealing with that. And what's not talked about enough, and this is so important when we think about local government engagement, Gen X is also taking care of their parents for the first time. So they're really being pulled in both directions and I think that's so important. Important life stage for Gen X, important career moment for Gen X, and they're generation that we should be talking about enough.

Myths

Jeff Harrell: There are a lot of stereotypes about Gen X. What's the number one myth that you think we need to debunk around Gen X?

Jason Dorsey: You know, I think the myth around Gen X is actually more so from the previous generation. Gen X was told they were going to be less successful than their parents. That's where this notion of Gen X or this lost generation or this generation that's not going to be able to be successful, really comes from. The reality though is because Gen X did grow up, and this is actually a truth not a myth, as latchkey kids. When the divorce rate went up dramatically, when both parents were in the workforce, lots of societal changes, Gen X is coming of age, what we see with Gen X is they're very self-reliant. And because of that, Gen X has weathered so many different storms.

Jason Dorsey: I mean, look at the challenges they've gone through, right? They survived the eighties, they survived the nineties. We're talking about the great recession, Y2K. I mean, we go on with this whole list and they're a very resilient generation and we often call them the glue in the workforce and the glue in communities. And that's why we think they deserve a lot more attention than they get.

Jeff Harrell: Give me one thing that you absolutely love about Gen X and then maybe one thing that just absolutely frustrates you about Gen X.

Jason Dorsey: Well, the number one thing I love about Gen X, because I'm at my heart a researcher and I'm all about data and questioning, is Gen X is very skeptical. They want to know where we got our information from, what was our source, what's the margin of error? This whole idea of where'd you get your data from, I personally love that because I like people who want to actually question sources and make sure they understand where things are coming from, how they all fit together and so forth. Don't just take it at surface value.

Jason Dorsey: At the same time, I think, what frustrates me with Gen X the most is, a lot of Gen Xers do think all Millennials are entitled and that our generation really doesn't have our act together. And I think certainly there are millennials that are struggling and entitled and all that, no question about it, as there's been with every generation. But I think there's a lot of hard-working Millennials who work very well with Gen X and they probably don't get as much recognition as they should. And that could also just be me as a Millennial who works with a Gen Xer, sharing that too.

Jeff Harrell: Jason I'm actually not that sure that Gen X is that skeptical, but maybe that's just me.

Jason Dorsey: There we see it in practice.

Biggest Surprise About Gen X

Jeff Harrell: Let's turn our attention to the research that we did together. You've done a lot of research into the generations. I think this is one of the first you've done around government. What was the biggest surprise that you've uncovered with this research around Gen X?

Jason Dorsey: I think what jumped out to me was that there were lots of points in the research where through our analysis, we see that Gen X were similar to Baby boomers and there's been this narrative for a long time that Gen X and boomers are very, very different from each other. But the reality is as Gen X continues to get older, we're increasingly finding similarities and that's where we see life stage and generation collide. I think the fact that we're now seeing Gen Xers sound more like Boomers in some way is pretty shocking for a lot of people, and also in our work, being data driven, very exciting.

Jeff Harrell: Gen X were very similar to Boomers in that 59% of them said they prefer local government information from a website and not from social media. Is that because social media was not a part of their lives for so long. What's the why behind that?

Jason Dorsey: One is that neither generation grew up with social media, so it's not their default place to go for information in the way that it certainly is for Millennials and Gen Z. The other side is Gen X is skeptical, so for them, social media is not something they necessarily trust. And we've seen this in lots and lots and lots of studies that we've done. So it makes sense for Gen X to say, "Hey, I want to go to the website that's actually controlled by the local government to get that piece of information." And at the same point, Baby boomers are likely to do the same thing because that's what's comfortable and normal for them. So I think what you're seeing here is both generational and learned behaviors coming together and that's why you're seeing those similarities.

Jeff Harrell: And that information that they're getting from government, actually 59% of them said that they're actually satisfied with the information they're getting from local government. That was the highest I think, of any group that we looked at. Why do you think that is?

Jason Dorsey: Because Gen X wants to go to the source. They are skeptical. They want to know where you get your information from and what better place than directly from the local government itself, on a website that's controlled by the local government where they can provide direct access and other links to additional information. So for Gen X, that is a great way for them to go right to the source, get access to that information and then see other related information, all in one. And so for Gen X, it works really, really well. Versus say, Millennials who want to go check it on social media, see what other influencers wrote, everything else that goes on. This is a very satisfying experience for Gen X, "I go to a website."

Jeff Harrell: I'll be back with my interview with Jason Dorsey in just a moment. Did you know that Tyler Technologies has a blog? Well, we do. And we have new blog articles that appear weekly on topics that I think you'll find super helpful. To find it, just go to tylertech.com and click on resources at the top of the page. You'll find information on hot topics, stories about how technology has solved real problems and more. I think you'll find it a very valuable resource. Now back to my conversation, Jason Dorsey.

Jeff Harrell: We asked the different generations, what are the services that you want to use more often. And more than half, this is the highest of any group, more than half of Gen X, want to use parks and rec more often. Is that because they have older kids and grandkids? What do you think the reason, the why behind that is.

Jason Dorsey: Definitely children, grandchildren, are contributing factors. We also see, candidly, Gen X getting older and feeling quality of life is now very important. So that's going out, being outdoors, doing something a little bit athletic, whether that's physical activity and actually exercising or just going for a long walk. So they're getting to that life stage where it's important for them to go and think about their health, so we're seeing more of that, along with making memories rather than material things, being a focus. So all of that goes together to say that Gen X is a group that really is engaging in parks and rec more. We think that will continue by the way.

Gen X and Government

Jeff Harrell: So even though we're skeptical, we rate government high across the board. 84% say government serves them well and 73% say government engages them well. Why do you think Gen X rates government so high?

Jason Dorsey: Well, that one was definitely a big surprise for our research team. Normally Gen X doesn't rate anything high, so for them to say, generally across the board,, that they rated it very high, that was something unexpected and a surprise for us. My belief on that, and I talk to our researchers about it, is again, it's comfortable for them to engage with government in the way that government has been engaging with them through technology, particularly via websites.

Jason Dorsey: Gen X also remembers how painful it was before technology, right? So for them, rather than having all these coming of age experiences where you had to go meet in person and do that type of thing. Gen X was there, remember the rise of the PC and all this, so they were there at the moment when they remember how hard it was to engage with government before technology and how great it is compared to that, versus Millennials and Gen Z, who don't have any recollection of that. All they go is, "Why is this not faster, easier, simpler?" And Gen X is going, "Oh, you should have seen it before." So I do think there's higher satisfaction tied to that.

 

Jeff Harrell: One of the stats I thought was very interesting is that Gen X rated economic and community development way higher in importance than any other group did. Is that because you think they're starting to see retirement on the horizon and want to maximize the remaining years they have to work?

Jason Dorsey: There's definitely a recognition that their timeline to continue working is finite. I think part of that's being driven by their parents actually struggling financially. As they look ahead, they're now having to support their parents in ways that many of them did not think they would and their parents oftentimes have outlived, unfortunately, their savings or different backstops. So, that's happening and what we're saying is that they really think Gen X thinks economic development is very important and they think it will continue to be important. And so I think that this is really representative of their life stage, what they've been through, and remember these recessions and recoveries that they've been through. But unlike baby boomers, Gen X still thinks they have time to work. So they're really, really focused on engaging these economic development pieces. And the idea that these economic development pieces can actually drive gains.

Jason Dorsey: I mean, Gen X has actually seen that. They've seen economic development bring employers, they've seen them bring stimulus, they've seen them create and drive these changes and they recognize that, that's really important. So again, I think that's both generation life stage, but also just sort of the time when Gen X has come of age, particularly around local government.

Jeff Harrell: This was a stat that I thought was very interesting. 81% of Gen X said better technology would go a long way towards helping local government. Better technology, is that interesting to you like it was to me, Jason?

Jason Dorsey: It is interesting. I mean, at the end of the day, technology is our really key focus as it intersects with different generations. And the fact that Gen X places such a high weight or high value on the idea that better technology would go a long way to helping local government, I think is a very clear signal that local government should pay attention to this and this is a huge opportunity. So this isn't just about engaging Millennials or Gen Z and younger citizens, but Gen X thinks this is really important too. To me, that is a huge takeaway.

Jeff Harrell: Looking at all the research that we did looking at Gen X, what do you think was the biggest takeaway for you?

Jason Dorsey: The biggest takeaway, I would say, was probably the idea that they prefer local government information from a website and not social media. We've seen some shift with Gen X where they're starting to look towards social media increasingly. We're not sure if that's because they're using it more, they're more comfortable with it, they feel like they can better filter out fake versus good information but I would've expected to still see a little bit more on the social media side. So the fact that websites continue to be so incredibly important, that to me, is something that says, "Hey, we need to not just focus on social media, but particularly with Gen X, we need to make sure that our websites are really good on mobile, easy to navigate, get people the information they want and allow for the interactions that they want."

Jeff Harrell: Jason, I was a little skeptical that you could pull this off since, of course, I'm a Gen X and you're a Millennial, but I think you did quite well.

Jason Dorsey: Woo hoo. I love this work. Thanks so much for having me on Jeff.

Jeff Harrell: Yeah, no, as always, we're just grateful for your expertise and for helping us understand this generation better. Tell folks how they can connect with you.

Jason Dorsey: Yeah, absolutely. If you'd like to access more of our research, we have a ton of studies on our research website, which is genhq.com. G-E-N hq.com. If you have a question or you want to reach out to me directly, definitely reach out on LinkedIn or on Twitter. I won't say that, that reveals which generation you are based on how you choose to go, but it does, so those are definitely available there. And you can also reach out to me directly through our website. We have lots of videos on my personal website, which is jasondorsey.com. J-A-S-O-N, D-O-R-S-E-Y. dot com. Would love to see you there.

Jeff Harrell: Awesome, Jason, and next time we will have our final of our four part series. We'll talk about Baby boomers.

Jason Dorsey: Woo hoo. Here, come the Boomers looking forward to it.

Jeff Harrell: Yeah, I can't wait. Until next time, Jason, thanks so much again and be well, my friend

Jason Dorsey: Thank you so much, Jeff. It's been awesome.

Jeff Harrell: Well, thanks as always for listening and please continue to give us feedback. As a Gen Xer, I need the validation and please give us a review. You can also email me directly at podcast@tylertech.com. We've actually had some really good ideas on future podcasts and lots of opinions on the best Adele song, which of course is, Someone Like You.

Jeff Harrell: Hey, next time is the last of our four part series on the generations. We'll look at Baby boomers. Until then, thanks for listening, and we'll talk to you soon.