What term describes the cultural and social differences between different age groups?

The term for cultural and social differences between different age groups is the generation gap.

A generation gap describes differences in opinions, values, expectations, language, political views, work habits, and cultural tastes between generations. It can produce misunderstandings within families, workplaces, schools, and communities, especially when younger and older people interpret social change in different ways.

The idea became especially prominent in the 1960s, when many young people associated with the baby-boom generation challenged their parents’ views on music, politics, government, and social behavior. Earlier thinkers had also examined generational change. Sociologist Karl Mannheim, for example, studied how people shaped by different historical experiences develop distinct outlooks.

A generation gap is not the same as ageism, which means prejudice or discrimination based on age. It also differs from the digital divide, which concerns unequal access to technology or digital skills. “Culture shock” usually describes the stress of encountering an unfamiliar culture, not a recurring difference between age groups. Generational differences are broad patterns, not rules: people in the same generation can hold very different beliefs.