LibGuides: Engaging Diverse Voices through Research &amp; Resources: Age

Key Definitions

Age

“In everyday life, people are divided into age categories such as children, youth, adults, and seniors. Each of these groupings has its own schema of appropriate behavior or attributes and is associated with a corresponding set of social relationships with other people and with institutions like the education system, the labor market, and the state. The process of human aging involves passing through a sequence of age-based stages across the life span and socializing into implicit and explicit roles associated with each of these stages.

Source: Encyclopedia of Identity

U.S. Census & Data Collection

On the U.S. Census, age is collected using a two-part questions -- what is your age and what is your date of birth? --in order to increase accuracy. It is paired, on the website, with questions about sex (see LBGTQ+ and Gender pages on this guide for more on those). Accurately mapping age in the U.S. is essential to allocation of federal funding and is a often used as a basic demographic trait used to intersect with other demographic data. Data showing how the population is growing and changing can help to respond to future trends. (Source:U.S. Census Topics: Age and Sex- About This Topic)

"The 2020 Census shows the United States continued to grow over the past decade, albeit at a slower pace than in previous decades. At the same time, the U.S. population grew older due to both a decrease in the number of children being born and an increase in the older population. And while females still tended to live longer than males, men saw a larger percent increase at older ages than women." For full report click here. (Source:U.S. Census Age and Sex Composition: 2020)

Keyword Suggestions

Keep in mind that some words that were commonly used in the past have since become outdated or even offensive. You may encounter these outdated terms in your research, and you may even need to use them in your own searches in order to get a complete view of your topic, especially if your topic is historical in nature. However, please be careful about using these words yourself, especially if you do not identify as part of the community that you are researching.

Terms marked with an asterisk (*) are considered offensive by some people and should only be used for self-identifying or quoting someone who explicitly self-identifies using that term.

Click on the terms below to see related keywords.

Age (general)

age
aging

Generation

generation, generational, intergenerational
Post-Millenials
- Alpha (Born early 2010's -2025)
- Gen Z, iGen, or Centennials (Born 1997 – 2012)
Millennials or Gen Y (Born 1981-1996)
Generation X (Born 1965 – 1980)
Baby Boomers (Born 1946 – 1964)
Traditionalists or Silent Generation (Born 1928-1945)

Age groups