Survey reveals biggest complaints against younger generations: ‘Really frustrating’
- Replies 28
As different generations develop their own cultures and preferences, disagreements are perhaps inevitable.
However, as age-old wisdom speaks, even the saintly suffer from irritations.
The older generation’s complaints are not just a tongue-in-cheek collective of minor grievances but a real thing.
Recent revelations come from a post on social media about seniors’ pet peeves about younger generations.
‘What is the most [senior] complaint you have?’ the post author asked.
The post was viewed more than 14 million times, and it unearthed several grievances.
Technology featured prominently as a bone of contention, with many seniors finding themselves irked with everything from QR codes to check menus instead of paper menus and self-checkout tills.
Seniors were also enraged with the younger generation’s ‘obsession’ with their pets, questioning why they always need to bring them everywhere.
Lauren responded that the annoyance with people’s relationships with their pets was a popular peeve.
One said that ‘obsession’ would enable the ‘dog’s worst impulses for separation anxiety’.
Another commented that children's obsession with iPads is too much.
Others were about streaming services and why ‘four’ different streaming services are required to ‘replace basic cable’.
Some complained of social media, particularly TikTok.
A commenter complained that young people were scrolling through videos without headphones on public transport.
‘Not everyone wants to hear your TikToks blasting,’ they said.
But techy complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.
A survey was also carried out by Boom Radio—a British radio for ‘baby boomers’—questioning hundreds of its 531,000 weekly listeners about their pet peeves.
Thirty-one questions were asked from respondents, with choices of ‘really frustrating’, ‘quite frustrating’, ‘it does not bother/affect me’, and ‘it does not bother/affect me at all’ as answers.
Seventy-three per cent, or almost 3 out of every 4, of the 653 listeners said it was ‘very frustrating’ when old records were banned because of lyrics, and 17 per cent answered it was ‘quite frustrating’.
This came after the band Queen omitted the song ‘Fat Bottom Girls’ from their greatest hits album as it might be offensive.
‘How are people ever going to learn to deal with things that make them uncomfortable or force them to question things if the world is to be painted beige for them?’ one asked.
'Perhaps they should be encouraged to listen to the lyrics of a lot of the songs that we grew up with so they can understand that, far from being out of touch, we have been fighting for the same things since the 60s!'
Lack of telephone access also irritated seniors, with 73 per cent saying it was ‘really frustrating’, and 17 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
Another pet peeve was car parks with machines that required drivers to use a smartphone app to pay for parking, with 68 per cent.
One senior commented, ‘It is BEYOND frustrating every single parking area uses a different parking app, and you are expected to download each one on your phone.
‘If they don't want to use cash…then at least allow the option of paying by card.’
When it comes to the entertainment industry, 61 per cent of seniors were really frustrated with unintelligible mumbled words on TV and films, and 28 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
For newsreaders, 60 per cent of seniors said they found poor grammar and diction from TV and radio newsreaders ‘really frustrating’, and 26 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
Health topics, too, featured in this list, with 60 per cent of respondents feeling really frustrated about ‘being nannied on what’s good or not good to eat’. Just over half at 58 per cent were also really frustrated about failing to get a doctor’s appointment , and 25 per cent found it ‘quite frustrating’.
The disappearance of public toilets was another hot-button issue, with 56 per cent saying they were really frustrated with the lack of public toilets.
Banking, consumer, and retail sectors also irritated the older generations, with 56 per cent saying they were really or quite frustrated with the automatic checkouts at supermarkets.
One added, ‘Us older people like human contact and need it more these days.’
The background music also annoyed them, with 43 per cent saying they were very frustrated at loud music from loudspeakers in shops and pubs.
Closure of bank branches really frustrated seniors by 55 per cent, and 23 per cent said it was quite frustrating.
Boom Radio listeners were also asked to share about modern society that annoyed or frustrated them the most.
One said, 'Young children screaming and generally misbehaving in restaurants. This can come under the heading “bad parenting”.'
Another said, 'Expecting us to keep up with the latest trends, for example, gender issues, new meaning of words, or words you cannot say anymore for fear of offending. It is difficult to keep up with new trends, and we are forever being made to feel 'racist' or some sort of phobic.'
Other complaints included portion size and complaints of restaurants not offering smaller portions on their menus. Children's menus are inappropriate.’
'We don't want to eat fish fingers and baked beans. We want adult food with slightly smaller portions.'
They also complained about the new generation of sports commentators, where sports programmes were ‘pushing an anti-our-age agenda by replacing favourite knowledgeable warm witty presenters with unknown bland social justice warriors’.
Regarding fashion, the older generation wasn't too impressed with the designs offered for their age.
‘We're the generation of Mary Quant and Ossie Clark. So why are so many clothes meant to appeal to us so very boring?’ one said.
Around 50 per cent (23 per cent and 26 per cent respectively) said they were very or quite frustrated that clothes for ‘our generation’ were ‘too fussy or beige’.
But not all things bothered the seniors; surprisingly, a majority was relaxed about being made fun of their age—with 79 per cent of them saying it didn’t bother them.
According to David Lloyd, co-founder of Boom Radio, ‘Whilst some of the points raised are simply minor niggles, others indicate how challenging life can become in utterly essential areas for this huge swathe of the population.’
'The sheer detail in the responses indicates the strength of feeling amongst our audience–and a view their needs are increasingly neglected.'
In a previous story, a shopper suggested a ‘Boomer Hour’ in supermarkets to address concerns about older shoppers allegedly causing delays at the checkout. The proposal met a lot of backlash, especially from Seniors Discount Club members. Read more about the story here.
Members, what are your pet peeves in today’s generation? Share them with us in the comments below!
However, as age-old wisdom speaks, even the saintly suffer from irritations.
The older generation’s complaints are not just a tongue-in-cheek collective of minor grievances but a real thing.
Recent revelations come from a post on social media about seniors’ pet peeves about younger generations.
‘What is the most [senior] complaint you have?’ the post author asked.
Older generations shared their pet peeves of today’s generation. Credit: Shutterstock
The post was viewed more than 14 million times, and it unearthed several grievances.
Technology featured prominently as a bone of contention, with many seniors finding themselves irked with everything from QR codes to check menus instead of paper menus and self-checkout tills.
Seniors were also enraged with the younger generation’s ‘obsession’ with their pets, questioning why they always need to bring them everywhere.
Lauren responded that the annoyance with people’s relationships with their pets was a popular peeve.
One said that ‘obsession’ would enable the ‘dog’s worst impulses for separation anxiety’.
Another commented that children's obsession with iPads is too much.
Others were about streaming services and why ‘four’ different streaming services are required to ‘replace basic cable’.
Some complained of social media, particularly TikTok.
A commenter complained that young people were scrolling through videos without headphones on public transport.
‘Not everyone wants to hear your TikToks blasting,’ they said.
But techy complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.
A survey was also carried out by Boom Radio—a British radio for ‘baby boomers’—questioning hundreds of its 531,000 weekly listeners about their pet peeves.
Thirty-one questions were asked from respondents, with choices of ‘really frustrating’, ‘quite frustrating’, ‘it does not bother/affect me’, and ‘it does not bother/affect me at all’ as answers.
Seventy-three per cent, or almost 3 out of every 4, of the 653 listeners said it was ‘very frustrating’ when old records were banned because of lyrics, and 17 per cent answered it was ‘quite frustrating’.
This came after the band Queen omitted the song ‘Fat Bottom Girls’ from their greatest hits album as it might be offensive.
‘How are people ever going to learn to deal with things that make them uncomfortable or force them to question things if the world is to be painted beige for them?’ one asked.
'Perhaps they should be encouraged to listen to the lyrics of a lot of the songs that we grew up with so they can understand that, far from being out of touch, we have been fighting for the same things since the 60s!'
Lack of telephone access also irritated seniors, with 73 per cent saying it was ‘really frustrating’, and 17 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
Another pet peeve was car parks with machines that required drivers to use a smartphone app to pay for parking, with 68 per cent.
One senior commented, ‘It is BEYOND frustrating every single parking area uses a different parking app, and you are expected to download each one on your phone.
‘If they don't want to use cash…then at least allow the option of paying by card.’
When it comes to the entertainment industry, 61 per cent of seniors were really frustrated with unintelligible mumbled words on TV and films, and 28 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
For newsreaders, 60 per cent of seniors said they found poor grammar and diction from TV and radio newsreaders ‘really frustrating’, and 26 per cent said it was ‘quite frustrating’.
Health topics, too, featured in this list, with 60 per cent of respondents feeling really frustrated about ‘being nannied on what’s good or not good to eat’. Just over half at 58 per cent were also really frustrated about failing to get a doctor’s appointment , and 25 per cent found it ‘quite frustrating’.
The disappearance of public toilets was another hot-button issue, with 56 per cent saying they were really frustrated with the lack of public toilets.
Banking, consumer, and retail sectors also irritated the older generations, with 56 per cent saying they were really or quite frustrated with the automatic checkouts at supermarkets.
One added, ‘Us older people like human contact and need it more these days.’
The background music also annoyed them, with 43 per cent saying they were very frustrated at loud music from loudspeakers in shops and pubs.
Closure of bank branches really frustrated seniors by 55 per cent, and 23 per cent said it was quite frustrating.
Seniors answered questions as to what frustrated them the most. Credit: Shutterstock
Boom Radio listeners were also asked to share about modern society that annoyed or frustrated them the most.
One said, 'Young children screaming and generally misbehaving in restaurants. This can come under the heading “bad parenting”.'
Another said, 'Expecting us to keep up with the latest trends, for example, gender issues, new meaning of words, or words you cannot say anymore for fear of offending. It is difficult to keep up with new trends, and we are forever being made to feel 'racist' or some sort of phobic.'
Other complaints included portion size and complaints of restaurants not offering smaller portions on their menus. Children's menus are inappropriate.’
'We don't want to eat fish fingers and baked beans. We want adult food with slightly smaller portions.'
They also complained about the new generation of sports commentators, where sports programmes were ‘pushing an anti-our-age agenda by replacing favourite knowledgeable warm witty presenters with unknown bland social justice warriors’.
Regarding fashion, the older generation wasn't too impressed with the designs offered for their age.
‘We're the generation of Mary Quant and Ossie Clark. So why are so many clothes meant to appeal to us so very boring?’ one said.
Around 50 per cent (23 per cent and 26 per cent respectively) said they were very or quite frustrated that clothes for ‘our generation’ were ‘too fussy or beige’.
But not all things bothered the seniors; surprisingly, a majority was relaxed about being made fun of their age—with 79 per cent of them saying it didn’t bother them.
According to David Lloyd, co-founder of Boom Radio, ‘Whilst some of the points raised are simply minor niggles, others indicate how challenging life can become in utterly essential areas for this huge swathe of the population.’
'The sheer detail in the responses indicates the strength of feeling amongst our audience–and a view their needs are increasingly neglected.'
In a previous story, a shopper suggested a ‘Boomer Hour’ in supermarkets to address concerns about older shoppers allegedly causing delays at the checkout. The proposal met a lot of backlash, especially from Seniors Discount Club members. Read more about the story here.
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