Overview
- Conference Board data reported this week showed Generation X’s six‑month Consumer Confidence Index fell to 78 points, its weakest reading in about four and a half years.
- Survey work from NielsenIQ finds big shortfalls in retirement readiness, with just 35% of Gen X saying they feel prepared to support aging parents and 55% saying they can support their children over the next few years.
- Conference Board chief economist Dana Peterson described many Gen Xers as the “sandwich generation” caring for both aging Baby Boomer parents and Gen Z children, a pressure that raises short‑term costs and cuts into saving.
- Researchers and economists point to a midlife U‑shaped happiness curve and rising costs of care and housing as nonfinancial and financial drivers that help explain why confidence has slid since early 2025.
- Despite the pessimism, Gen X still commands outsized spending power — more than 30% of U.S. household spending with global spending projected to climb from about $15.2 trillion in 2025 toward $23 trillion by 2035 — meaning their mood matters for overall demand.