Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Value and values
Retail | Consumer | Sustainability
June 15, 2022 – Inflation is weighing on buying decisions for all generations of US consumers, but environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues aren’t off the table, particularly for younger groups. More than two-thirds of younger consumers in a recent McKinsey survey say ESG concerns are important to them.
To read the article, see “How US consumers are feeling, shopping, and spending—and what it means for companies,” May 4, 2022.
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Visual form
Multi-panel dot plot.
Layout / body structure
The chart is built as three horizontal panels stacked top to bottom on a shared 0 to 60 percent scale. Read each row from left to right, then use the right-hand callout text beside the row before moving down to the next topic.
What is being compared
Each panel compares four generations – Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers – across one purchase-decision theme: authenticity, health and the environment, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Measurement system
The measurement is the percent of respondents saying the topic is very important in a consumer purchase decision. The colored dots map to the four generations, and each row includes a dashed overall-average reference line.
Visible structure inside the graphic
Every row places four colored dots against a horizontal percentage axis and overlays a dashed vertical line for the overall average. The right side of each row adds short example statements that explain what the theme means in practical consumer terms.
Main takeaway from the visual
Younger cohorts consistently sit farther to the right than older cohorts, so Gen Z and millennials attach more weight to these purpose-related issues than Gen X and baby boomers do. Authenticity and health and environment score highest overall, while diversity, equity, and inclusion shows the widest generation gap.
Key standout values or extremes
In authenticity, the dots sit at roughly 58 for Gen Z, 53 for millennials, 38 for Gen X, and 33 for baby boomers against an overall average in the low 40s. In health and the environment, millennials sit just above 50 while Gen Z and Gen X cluster around 40 and baby boomers around the mid-30s. In diversity, equity, and inclusion, Gen Z is around 46 and millennials around 42, while Gen X drops to the mid-20s and baby boomers to about 19.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.