'60s generation is heading for convention...(are shown to be a diverse group varying ...),Health

• The baby bulge group, who were aware of themselves competing with many others for school places and jobs.

• The burden group who worried about the consequences of being followed by a smaller generation.

• The lucky generation who felt they had benefited most from economic growth and the welfare state.

• The political generation who believed they had been trailblazers through their lives, taking initiatives that had produced social and cultural change.

Baby boomers have been widely characterised as more individualistic than previous generations, leading to suggestions that this would make them less family oriented. Yet the research shows that family responsibilities among boomers have increased rather than reduced. Demographic data shows that 43 per cent of those born between 1945-1952 have at least one child living at home while 37 per have financial responsibility for other members of the household usually children. Improvements in life expectancy mean that 43 per cent of people aged 50-57 still have a mother alive, and 20 per cent a father.

Boomers demonstrate a changing attitude towards inheritance, with surveys suggesting they are more likely to want to use their wealth to enjoy life than to worry about leaving a bequest.

Housing has played a big part in boomers' lives. The proportion of owner-occupiers rose from around one in four in 1950 to two-thirds by the mid-1980s. Today, 33 per cent of boomers own their homes outright and 52 per cent have mortgages, while 15 per cent have second homes. Home improvements, shows the research, form a significant part of boomer lifestyles. So does incre
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