Who is this generation and what are they like? What do they do and how do they act? Why are they so important to the future of the United States?

Boweus, Gonzales and Glynn are typical of the generation known as Generation Y. Born between 1977 and 1995, these youngsters now make up more than a fifth of the U.S. population, and is projected to be six times the size of Generation X. The generation has become the target of marketers and advertisers, because of its size and its enormous spending power. They represent the most diverse, technology-savvy and materialistic generation yet.

- number 70 million and make up 21 percent of the population

- will exceed the number of baby boomers at their peak

The percentage of Generation Y-ers in the total population are expected to increase at twice the rate of the population until 2010, and by 2020 this percentage will have reached 32 percent.

Generation Y is an ethnically diverse generation. While minori

ties make up 24 percent of baby boomers, they form 34 percent of Generation Y.

Marketers anxious to tap the youth and teen market are creating anything they can to forge a name. Niche products geared toward the generation are making their debut, such as magazines Teen People and Sports Illustrated for Kids, Cover Girl's Cosmic Edge make-up and clothing retailers Delia's and Mudd Jeans. Even retailer JC Penney has launched its own teen publication, Noise, distributed in 1,000 stores across the nation.

College students also have wide access to computers and the Internet because their schools often provide faster connections. But many of the high school students seem caught in the middle, reporting the least usage compared to younger children and college students. About half of the high schoolers interviewed use the Internet regularly, mostly for e-mail and entertainment.

The popular belief that Generation Y is a generation of apathy, too spoiled in material comfort to care about the world, may be misleading.

Members of the generation are optimistic about the future, yet they are also painfully aware of problems that may jeopardize the nation's or their own well-being. Although 80 percent of interviewees said they are optimistic, only a tenth said they are confident that the country is headed in the right direction.

Accoring to Brandweek, Gen Y-ers are turned off by brands that try too hard to be "cool" or create hype and get young consumers to follow a trend they set. Instead, teens appreciate brands that emulate their lifestyles or what they are used to.

Some topics in this essay:
Generation Y-ers, Association America, American Demographics, MP3 Web, World Report, Northwestern University, Wayne Tie, Global Internet, York Times/CBS, Morrison Ill, college students, generation generation, generation y-ers, baby boomers, interviews generation, northwestern university, american demographics, home school, 80 percent, sixth seventh graders, percent population, american demographics reports, generation generation y-ers, teenage research unlimited, born 1977 1995,