Generation X has entered its prime earnings years, and Statista, referencing a poll conducted by YouGov on behalf of MarketingCharts, pointed out that TV ads and word-of-mouth are the most important purchase influencers for Gen Xers, beating any type of paid online advertising by a significant margin.
Statista noted that the median income of households led by Gen Xers age 45 to 54 years is $80,671 while that for households led primarily by Millennials aged 35 to 44 years is $78,368, according to United States Census Bureau data. Younger Millennials and Generation Z members, although coveted by marketers as the next growth demographics, currently earn substantially lower household incomes at $62,294 for households led by 25 to 34 year olds and about $40,000 for younger householders.
The YouGov figures defined Gen X members as being born from 1965 to 1981. When asked what determined their purchasing decisions in the past six months, Gen Xers identified their top 10 influences as:
- TV ads: 23.5%
- Personal recommendations: 22.4%
- Consumer reviews online: 19.6%
- Emails I opted into: 17.6%
- Catalogs/flyers in the mail: 11.1%
- Social media ads: 10%
- Search engine ads: 9.9%
- Product placement on TV: 8.4%
- Online video ads: 8.3%
- Radio ads: 8.3%