Did baby boomers eat all the pies? John Lanchester on the truth about the generation gap

"The OBR makes the point that a current new-born baby would make an average net discounted contribution to the exchequer of 68,400 over its life-time, whilst future generations would have to contribute 159,700. In plain English, people's lifetime contribution to the state is going to double. That number is from 2011, and will definitely have got worse."

"While the educational attainment of ethnic minorities growing up in families eligible for free school meals is often higher than that of their white majority peers, their earnings outcomes show no such advantage. Why not? This paradox highlights complexities in intergenerational mobility that simple metrics fail to capture."

"A 2023 report from Imperial College Business School argues there is more solidarity between generations than the Millennials versus Boomers' narrative would suggest. So this is definitely a question you can address through data—though there is a risk that you can use numbers to cherrypick your way to a conclusion you already held in advance."

Intergenerational relations have become increasingly important since the financial crisis, with substantial data revealing significant disparities. The Office for Budgetary Responsibility reports that newborns today will contribute an average of £68,400 to the exchequer over their lifetimes, while future generations must contribute £159,700—effectively doubling lifetime contributions. The Institute for Fiscal Studies documents intergenerational earnings mobility, revealing paradoxes such as ethnic minorities achieving higher educational attainment than white peers yet experiencing no corresponding earnings advantages. A 2019 House of Lords report explicitly addresses intergenerational unfairness, though some research suggests greater generational solidarity exists than popular narratives indicate. Understanding these dynamics requires both quantitative analysis and examination of lived experiences across family generations.

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