Their generation began in the late 1970's. Their grandparents are the builders, their parents are the boomers, and their older brothers and sisters are the busters. They represent one-fourth of our population. According to Strauss and Howe, the millennial generation is the 18 th in the history of our country, and it is the second largest with 72-73 million people. It has been called the millennial or bridger generation because its members will bridge into the new millennium, but also because we need to bridge into their lives.
Some authors also refer to it as the echo or mosaic generation.
Experts tell us this generation will make decisions about things that will carry us through the 21 st century. People are watching carefully to see what the millennials will decide about cigarettes, drugs, sex, family and other value-oriented issues. For example, they respond favorably to positive pop-culture role models. They belong to the first postmodern generation. They have followed their buster brothers and sisters as part of the latchkey generation.