Generation X is often described as the “sandwich” generation because it’s a smaller cohort squeezed between larger ones: Boomers and Millennials. While their lower numbers can cause them to be overlooked, Gen X is worth paying attention to: they’re not just “in the middle” demographically but also operationally. Many are supporting aging parents and school-aged children.
This social position matters in healthcare. Gen X is more likely than other cohorts to experience the healthcare system through multiple lenses: as patients, caregivers for older and younger family members, care coordinators, and sometimes advocates. And when healthcare becomes something you help manage for others (not just something you access for yourself), it changes how you see and engage with the system.
What we know about Gen X right now – and why it matters in healthcare
Across our generational segmentation work, Gen X is increasingly defined by a need to maintain equilibrium in a world that feels more complex. They are responsible for balancing caregiving responsibilities and their own early aging at the same time. Values have shifted accordingly: they’ve become more selective in how they engage, increasingly averse to complexity, and more oriented toward practical, utilitarian decision-making. This drive for simplicity and streamlining is especially relevant in healthcare, a landscape marked by complex systems and mountains of information.
Generation X’s relationship with information is unique. They grew up in an analog world and then adapted to a digital world as the internet and mobile technology transformed life. Of all cohorts, Gen X may have felt most keenly the shift from scarce information, where you had to actively seek it out from a limited number of sources, to a world where information from myriad sources is constantly pushed toward you. In health, that information overload can significantly impact how someone manages their health, the health of their loved ones, and interacts with healthcare professionals and the system.
Gen X Segmentation Report
The system feels like it’s sliding – and that changes how Gen X manages health
In our 2025 IRIS Global Confidence Survey, a recent study we conducted in collaboration with our IRIS Network Partners, we see that Gen X is most likely to believe the healthcare system is deteriorating (43% versus 37% overall), and least likely to call it “excellent” (3% Gen X versus 5%). *
Gen X’s views of the system provide important context. Separately, their life stage and values orientation shape what they need from the healthcare experience. When you are managing care across generations, health decisions are rarely made with a blank slate. They are made under time pressure, with a strong preference for clearer direction, fewer steps, and less ambiguity.
*The survey was conducted online between October 10 and November 4, 2025, with a sample of 1,026 Canadian adults. Standard weighting for age, gender and region was applied. Multi-country reports will be published by the IRIS Network in the first quarter of 2026.
A PatientConnect Lens: What a health values-based segmentation reveals about Gen X
Our PatientConnect segmentation adds an important layer to the Gen X story, clarifying how broader generational values translate into health-specific beliefs and mindsets.
PatientConnect, our values-based health segmentation, groups people based on how they think and feel about health, what motivates them, and how they tend to behave when they need care. It helps explain why two people with similar health needs can respond very differently, from how confident they feel navigating the system to how consistently they follow through on a healthcare plan.
What stands out in the data is not simply where Gen X “lands,” but the size of the shift that occurs moving from Boomers to Gen X. Compared to Boomers, Gen X shows a marked increase in Anxious Avoiders (20.2% vs. 13.7%) and Impulsive Fatalists (18.6% vs. 11.4%). This reflects meaningful shifts in values shaped by Gen X’s current context, including the pressure of balancing caregiving responsibilities, navigating a healthcare system that can feel more complex and poorly operated, and managing their own health, including early markers of aging. The result has clear implications for how Gen X engages with health information and services, how consistently they follow through on care plans, and what kinds of supports are most likely to reduce friction and make action feel achievable.
What this means for healthcare organizations, brands, and communicators
If Gen X is increasingly oriented toward practical decisions, selective engagement, and a lower tolerance for complexity, the opportunity is not to simply “educate more.” It is to make action easier to start and easier to sustain.
A few principles to consider when designing experiences, programs, or communications for caregivers, patients, or advocates in the Gen X cohort:
Reduce complexity
Fewer handoffs, fewer steps, less repetition, clearer pathways.
Reduce ambiguity
Explicit next steps, realistic timelines, and clear guidance on what to do while waiting.
Respect bandwidth
Shorter communications, fewer decisions at one time, and lower cognitive load.
Support follow-through
Reminders, defaults, bite-sized actions, and practical scaffolding that makes adherence feel realistic.
This is a case where generational segmentation and healthcare-specific segmentations make a powerful combination. They guide practical design and communication choices grounded in stable values frameworks, tapping into people’s day-to-day realities and deeper motivations.
Recognizing the Gen X Reality
Gen X is easy to miss in the shadow of larger generations, but it is important to remember that right now they sit at the centre of household decision-making and cross-generational caregiving. If we want healthcare experiences that feel workable for the people carrying the most, we need to recognize that Gen X is not a niche audience. Designing with a deep understanding of Gen X – how they see the world and what their lives are like today – can have ripple effects across generations.
One implication of this analysis is that solutions that reduce friction will matter more than solutions that add information. The healthcare experiences that resonate with Gen X will be the ones that make the path clear, lower the burden of coordination, and support follow-through despite limited bandwidth. If healthcare systems, brands, and programs can design for that reality, they won’t just better serve Gen X. They’ll build models that are more practical and sustainable for everyone.
