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Mention the word millennials in a gathering and you may hear the words ‘entitled’,’ lazy’, and ‘narcissistic,’ among other adjectives. The millennial generation typically thought of as those born from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, and their habits around shopping, online activity, and news consumption have been the subject of much discussion among marketers worldwide, including in Africa.
Update: Our presentation on African Millennials was among the winners at the AMRA 2018 Forum scooping the 3rd overall best presentation.
MYTHS & THE REALITY
Africa is inhabited by 1.2 billion people who make up approximately 17% of the world’s population. Despite beliefs that Millennials make up a large portion of the African population, they are less than 30% of this population according to the 2017 estimates by the Africa Development Bank. Africans aged 15 and below make up 41% of the continent’s population. Those below 19 years old are at 51%.
The assumptions that African millennials are young and the majority are among the many myths that have come to be accepted as the reality. More often than not, the terms ‘ Many marketers often bundle the millennial generational cohort with that of Generation Z in their targeting and understanding of their behavior, attitudes and trends of this consumer demographic.
The Time magazine feature article of 2013 described millennials worldwide as more similar to one another than to older generations within their nations due to globalization, social media and the export of Western culture. But are all millennials similar? Do African millennials have the same outlook towards the future as their Western counterparts?
Are millennials similar to the next generation that is now more populous in Africa – Generation Z, in what ways are they similar and/or different, are they still the majority in Africa?
#AMRA2018
GeoPoll has sought to understand African millennials by examining the myths that have been believed and published about them, and we confirm some of the realities about this generation. To do this, we have compiled a presentation which we shall be presenting at this year’s African Market Research Association (AMRA) forum happening in Nairobi from 22nd – 23rd February 2018.
AMRA is a non-profit membership association for market, social and opinion polling research associations and organizations in Africa. The AMRA forum brings together marketing and social researchers for a 2-day forum that happens annually in different cities within Africa.
Our presentation will focus on the findings from various studies conducted by GeoPoll as well as data from various other agencies on millennials globally and in Africa. We hope you will join us for this exciting presentation and discussion, and read our previous studies on African Millennials and Youth Consumers.
Also, follow us on our twitter handle for live updates of the 2-day forum.
UPDATE
Our presentation on African Millennials was among the winners at the AMRA 2018 Forum scooping the 3rd overall best presentation. Download it here