We often hear people from different age groups claim they had it tougher than the rest - from rising costs to housing pressures, each generation argues their struggle is unique.

But what does the data actually say?

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with social researcher and generational expert, Ashley Fell, to dig into some of McCrindle’s recent generational analysis: comparing Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y and Gen Z on income, housing affordability, inflation, technology access, and more.

Language is always evolving - and for Generation Alpha, who are growing up fully immersed in digital culture, slang is more than just words.

It’s a way of connecting, creating identity, and signalling belonging online and offline.

From TikTok trends to schoolyard lingo, Gen Alpha has a whole vocabulary that might leave older generations scratching their heads - and sometimes even Gen Z a little confused!

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with two of McCrindle's Gen Z team members, Holly Schaaf and Luke Davies, to help decode this generation and their slang.

From streaming platforms and meal kits to beauty boxes and even pet food deliveries - it seems there’s a subscription for just about everything.

But what’s driving this shift from ownership to access?

And why are some generations more on board than others?

To kick off season 17, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with podcast host and Director of Advisory at McCrindle, Ashley Fell, to unpack McCrindle’s latest insights on the subscription economy.

Gen Alpha are the most materially endowed generation ever, the most technologically savvy generation ever and they will enjoy a longer life span than any previous generation.

They will stay in education longer, start their earning years later and stay at home with their parents later than even Gen Z and Gen Y who went before them.

They are clearly an important generation to understand!

To wrap up season 16, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle's Director of Advisory, Ashley Fell, and McCrindle's Marketing and Insights Strategist, Luke Davies, to discuss recent research we were involved with on how Gen Alpha learn, spend and see the future.

The education sector sits at the heart of so many communities.

And yet they're facing a lot of change.

From generational to demographic and technological - all these trends are shaping the future of education.

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle's Director of Advisory and podcast host, Ashley Fell, to talk about how thriving schools stay ahead of change.

Consumer behaviour is always changing, and brand managers probably wish it was simple to understand and respond to.

But, it’s a bit more complex than that.

That’s why we made the focus of our recent consumer insights report about the megatrends shaping the consumer landscape – framed through paradoxes.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to explore what’s shaping the future consumer.

As you may have heard, we recently celebrated 20 years as a business here at McCrindle!

It’s an exciting milestone, and we’re fortunate to have team members who've been part of the journey for over 12 years now (and counting!).

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with McCrindle's longest standing employees - Creative Director Ben Duffin and Director of Advisory Ashley Fell - to share stories and reflections from their time here.

Since the dawn of time, humans have told stories.

Around campfires, in books, through film, and now, in business and data.

But why?

Because stories connect us.

And when told well, they make ideas stick, bring data to life, and inspire action.

In this week's episode, our podcast producer, Holly Schaaf, sits down with Future Report host and Director of Advisory at McCrindle, Ashley Fell, to talk about the power of storytelling in a digital era.

Attracting and retaining great people in an organisation is no easy feat.

A key part of thriving organisations is the people who work for them, how engaged they are in their work, and whether or not they feel part of the culture of their organisation.

But what is culture?

It can be hard to define and even harder to measure.

That is why we developed a cultural health index.

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle’s Managing Director, Sophie Renton, to discuss building tomorrow’s teams and learnings from our cultural health index.

You might know McCrindle for our research, our infographics, or our keynote presentations.

Well, this year we’re celebrating something pretty special - 20 years since McCrindle was founded!

In this week's episode, our host, Ashley Fell, sits down with McCrindle's Principal and Founder, Mark McCrindle, to reflect on two decades of trends, team, and transformation.

We're exploring where it all began, the big turning points along the way, and what’s next for our team and the future.

And to help tell the story, we’ve invited a few familiar voices to join us - you’ll hear some special messages from members of the McCrindle team as they share their favourite memories, moments, and milestones.

So whether you’ve been following our journey for years or have just discovered our work, we’re so glad you’re here for this special celebration episode of The Future Report!