Today on In Session: Leading the Judiciary, we talk with public policy expert Bobby Duffy about his book The Generation Myth: Why When You’re Born Matters Less Than You Think. Duffy discusses what’s real and not-so-real about differences among generations. Stereotypes like “Baby Boomers hate technology” and “Millennials are lazy” not only lack support but can be dangerous: creating division and distracting from real issues. Duffy argues that to understand how different generations shape society, it’s essential to consider the political, economic, and cultural contexts impacting everyone, and the lifecycle changes common to all generations.

Bobby Duffy is professor of public policy and director of the Policy Institute at King’s College London, and was previously director of global research at Ipsos MORI and the Ipsos Social Research Institute. His first book, Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything, published in 2019, examined the causes and consequences of human delusion.