Media consumption and attention patterns across generations From a generational standpoint, media attention and consumption habits are anything but monolithic. Gen Zers, millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers take decidedly different paths through the media landscape, converging and diverging in surprising ways. Select generational insights from the research include the following: — Screens have converged for younger generations . TV remains the primary gateway for premium, long-form video, but its dominance tapers as cohorts skew younger. Nine of ten baby boomers (91 percent) rank the TV set as their number one device for long-form viewing, while only 4 percent put the smartphone first. By contrast, Gen Zers show a much flatter hierarchy: 43 percent still start with a TV set, but 31 percent go for the phone first, and 10 percent reach for a tablet. Millennials stand out for early experimentation with immersive hardware: 4 percent already favor a virtual reality or augmented reality headset for long- form video. — Streaming overtakes cable for all generations . Streaming is the most popular video medium for all generations: 68 percent of baby boomers report having consumed streaming video in the prior month, compared with 60 percent having consumed cable. That streaming–cable gap balloons to 91 percent versus 39 percent for Gen Z. YouTube is the social-video leader for all generations (52 to 88 percent report using it in the prior month), followed by Facebook for baby boomers and Gen Xers, a Facebook and Instagram tie for millennials, and TikTok for Gen Zers. — Generationally, not all print mediums are equal . Baby boomers are three times more likely than Gen Zers to read print newspapers (49 percent versus 16 percent) and magazines (45 percent versus 17 percent). Book consumption across the two groups, however, is even. — Millennials buy on social media more than any other generation does . Millennials are 70 percent more likely than Gen Zers to have clicked through an advertisement and purchased an item on a social-video platform and 3.5 times more likely than baby boomers to do so. They’re also two times more likely than Gen Zers and six times more likely than baby boomers to enjoy advertisements as introductions to new products and services. — Millennials are leading the way in premium-video commerce . Millennials are three times more likely than baby boomers to have made a purchase while watching Amazon Prime Video. Of those who have made such a purchase, 50 percent state that the purchase was related to the content that they were consuming. — Gen Z is leading the way in music commerce . Gen Zers are 50 percent more likely than millennials to have purchased items through a music-streaming platform. Members of each generation are over ten times more likely than baby boomers to have done so. — No matter the age, people love live events . Around 40 percent of each generation considers live events—from sports to concerts—very or extremely important, making them a rare cross- age common denominator. — Books may be the greatest providers of consumer surplus in media . Book consumption is even across generation members (45 to 50 percent report having read a book in the prior month). Books are the only form of content outside of console and PC games to engage audiences at a degree comparable to live experiences (high focus: 81 percent versus 71 to 88 percent). Books are the second-most likely content to be consumed for love (theatrical 26 The ‘attention equation’: Winning the right battles for consumer attention