SAN FRANCISCO, Dec 16 — A new study from Viacom has revealed some differences in thoughts and attitudes to work, life and love between the Gen X and Millennial generations.

The study, entitled V by Viacom, surveyed more than 12,000 adults across 21 countries to better understand Gen X'ers, defined in the US as adults 34-54 years old and globally as adults 30-49.

Participants came from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, UK, US, with around 9,000 of those surveyed between 30-49 years old with a sample of 18-29 year olds also included for comparison.

Some of the major findings to come out of the study include Gen X'ers' and Millennials' different attitudes to relationships, with American Gen X'ers choosing good sex (45 per cent) as the most important thing in a good long-term relationship, followed by friendship (40 per cent) and romance (39 per cent).

Millennials however chose friendship first (58 per cent) followed by romance (40 per cent) and good sex (30 per cent.)

Although the percentages were different for those outside the US, Gen X'ers and Millennials still showed the same order as their US counterparts.

With regards to work, US Gen X'ers and Millennials appear to struggle more to find a work-life balance than their non-US peers, who prioritise a work-life balance over success at work in greater numbers than their US counterparts.

Whereas 72 per cent of Gen X and 69 per cent of Millennials agree with the statement that “work-life balance matters more than success and recognition at work,” a larger majority of Gen X (83 per cent) and Millennials (77 per cent) outside the US agree.

The results also found that although Gen X'ers are less likely to feel lonely than Millennials, overall US respondents of both generations feel lonelier than their non-US counterparts. In the US, 52 per cent of Gen X agree they “feel lonely” while 56 per cent of Millennials agree with that statement. Abroad however, 42 per cent of Gen X and 53 per cent of Millennials “feel lonely.”

Despite feelings of loneliness the survey did offer some good news, with the large majority of both Gen X and Millennials feeling happy with themselves. In the US, 86 per cent of Gen X and 85 per cent of Millennials say they feel comfortable with who they are, with an equally high number of non-US Gen X'ers (85 per cent) and Millennials (80 per cent) also feeling the same.

Commenting on the results, Christian Kurz, SVP, Global Consumer Insights, Viacom said, “Notably, we found that there are many more commonalities between the US and the rest of the world than there are differences. This is a pattern that generally holds true when looking at the well-studied Millennials — the first truly global generation — but we were surprised to also find this with Gen X'ers who grew up under dramatically different circumstances around the world.” — AFP-Relaxnews