The Most
Impactful Events
of the Last Century

21st Century Events Weigh Heavily on Americans of All Ages

Asking Americans to name the “most significant events of a lifetime” is a tricky proposition, as their perspectives and ages differ greatly. None who survived the Great Depression could forget its impact, yet fewer who remember it remain with us today.

We asked Americans to identify the three most personally impactful events of their lifetime from lists tailored to their age groups. Recency bias may have influenced participants to reflect on more recent occurrences. With the exception of the Vietnam War and some school shootings, all of the events that impacted research participants most transpired after the new millenium.

A similar survey in 2016 found 9/11 to be the most significant event for Americans by a wide margin, and for many, that is still true today. Donald Trump’s divisive presidential election was one of the top three most impactful events for nearly one in three Americans, followed by the economic disaster of the Great Recession, and the presidential election of Barack Obama.

A present-day prejudice was also detectable when Americans named the nation's most challenging decade of the past century. Participants in our research could select any decade in the past century, even ones that happened before they were born.

The 1930s spanned the depth of the depression, the 1940s saw the world at war again, and the 1960s were marked by high-profile assassinations and widespread civil unrest. Yet the 2020s (with aspects of financial inequity, climate disasters, racial inequality, political polarization, and widespread disease) were considered to be the most challenging decade for the country.

Let's examine how different age groups viewed this same set of events.

The Defining Moments of Each Generation

Studying separate age groups showed us that some events impacted Americans of all ages, and others uniquely affected certain generations.

For example, unrest and war in the 1960s left an indelible mark on many baby boomers, while Gen Xers were the only generation to include two separate health crises in their top ten most impactful events: both the Covid-19 pandemic and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s. Generation Zers, the youngest adults in our research, have grown up in the new millennium. They’ve already felt the negative impact of political division and a pandemic, and the positive impact of great forward strides in social equality.

Though rankings differed noticeably between different age groups, every generation agreed that Covid-19, Sept. 11, and Donald Trump’s election were among the most impactful events of their lifetimes. Notably, these recent events were the three most impactful even among the oldest people in our study.

Generational gaps further emerge through the breakdown of individual events. For instance, baby boomers are still deeply impacted by JFK's assassination and the Vietnam conflict – two world-changing events that transpired too early to affect younger generations .

Conversely, millennials and Gen Zers mentioned school shootings and Covid-19 more frequently than their elders. School shootings have increased in frequency over the past few decades, while many millennials and Gen Zers were students themselves. Additionally, younger adults faced many unique difficulties during Covid-19, such as the closure of universities and lost jobs and wages. They were more likely than older adults to report substance abuse or suicidal thoughts during the pandemic.

While Baby Boomers have lived longest and have witnessed more events than younger generations, they were equally as likely as younger adults to say the 2020s are the most difficult decade the US has faced. Interestingly, Generation Zers, those between the ages of 18 and 25, were more likely than any older generation to say the 1930s was the most difficult decade in the past 100 years.

How Women and Men Experienced Major Events

Splitting gender lines reveals that men remain more impacted by the Vietnam War (where participants and casualties were overwhelmingly male) and the Great Recession (where men suffered harsher economic consequences).

Women were more likely to name the Covid-19 pandemic, which placed disproportionate stress on females, as one of the most impactful events. The election of Barack Obama, which women tipped with an historic gender gap in the vote tally, was also more likely to be impactful to women than men.

When naming the most impactful events of their lifetime, men and women agreed on the three that were most significant. There was considerable divergence afterward, as seen in the table below. Percentages represent only those whose lifetime included each event.

Similar perspectives informed which decades were considered the most challenging by each gender. Men were far more likely to choose eras of economic depression (1930s) and global conflict (1940s) while women strongly felt we are currently in the most challenging times.

The Role of Race in Perceptions of Key Events

People of color and white people viewed and experienced recent historical events quite differently. While the top two most impactful events were the same, Sept. 11 carried more weight among white respondents, and Covid-19 had a deeper impact on people of color (whose communities were disproportionately affected). Each group's top ten lists also included three unique events.

Despite broad differences regarding certain events, racial divisions were less stark when evaluating America's most difficult decades. Both groups agreed that the 2020s have been most challenging. White respondents cited the war-torn 1940s as the second-toughest era while people of color named the 1960s as second-most challenging decade.

Conclusion

Two years in, Americans already believe this decade is the nation’s most challenging of the last 100 years. Whether that's an accurate assessment based on current conditions or a symptom of recency bias will only be revealed down the line.

The events shaping society often bind us together, sometimes tear us apart, but usually unfold unexpectedly. Not long ago, Donald Trump was a reality star, pandemics were dark fiction, and European land wars were a thing of the past.

Until recently, it seemed nothing could impact us like September 11, but that terror has now taken a back seat. No one knows what tomorrow will bring and whether it will unite us or tear us asunder.

Our research suggests that Americans of all walks of life still share many opinions, exhibit common values, and have been similarly affected by communal events. We also live different lives and hold different views depending on age, gender, culture, and political beliefs. Understanding these outlooks and considering alternate contexts could better equip the nation to tackle future challenges and make the American experience feel united again.

Data Appendix

Question: We have compiled a list of events in American history that occurred in or around your lifetime. While this list is not exhaustive, please select up to THREE that were most impactful to you personally.