"Grandmothers Also Like Steak" Japan's Generational Gap Narrows with 'Soryeonghwa' Phenomenon

Similar Tastes in 20s and 60s... Elderly Also Engage in 'Fan Activities'
Blurred Lifestyle Boundaries by Age... Changes in Consumer Market

In Japan, a super-aged society, the so-called 'Shoreika (消?化·Shoreika)' phenomenon, where generational gaps in values and preferences are gradually narrowing, has recently attracted attention. As the boundaries of lifestyles based on age and gender become blurred, the consumer market is rapidly reorganizing accordingly.

On the 4th, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported, citing a report from the research institute Hakuhodo Institute of Life and Living, that over the past 20 to 30 years, Japanese society has been experiencing the Shoreika phenomenon, where generational differences are gradually decreasing.

A photo used by the Japan Shoryeonghwa Research Institute to explain Shoryeonghwa. From the right, the order is 20s, 30s, and the far left is 60s. It shows that it has become virtually impossible to distinguish generations based on appearance such as fashion. (Photo by Shoryeonghwa Research Institute website)

According to the report, the percentage of respondents who answered "like" to the question "Do you like Hamburg steak?" was 61% among people in their late 20s in 2002, while it was only 20% among those in their 60s. However, 20 years later in 2022, the gap between people in their late 20s and those in their 60s narrowed to 20 percentage points. The institute estimated that in another 10 years, by 2032, the generational gap will be significantly reduced to 7 percentage points.

The institute reported that out of 990 questions related to lifestyle consciousness, from 2002 to 2032, 147 items showed a reduction in generational differences, greatly outnumbering the 17 items where the gap widened. Shujo Ishidera, the institute director, said, "Shoreika has become an irreversible trend," and predicted, "By 2050, when Japan's population falls below 100 million, generational gaps will narrow even further. Although the digital native generation will be at the center, the current middle-aged and older generation entering their 65s at that time will also be familiar with digital culture."

Nikkei analyzed that the reason for the shrinking cultural gap between generations is that the correlation between lifestyle and age is gradually weakening. The so-called "life cycle," which involves starting employment, marriage, and childbirth at specific ages, is beginning to break down, resulting in a significant disappearance of lifestyle gaps between generations.

In Japan, the percentage of women giving birth to their first child at age 25 was 16% in 1975, but in 2020, less than 10% gave birth even by age 29. Nikkei added, "It has become natural for some people to marry for the first time in their 40s, some to have children, and conversely, some to be surrounded by grandchildren."

Additionally, the increase in healthy elderly people continuing various social activities due to advances in medical technology, and the current middle-aged generation's familiarity with digital culture, have also contributed to narrowing the differences.

In fact, changes in consumer culture due to Shoreika have begun to appear in Japan. A recent example is the "Kaiwai (界?) consumption," a buzzword among Generation Z. In Korea, it is translated as "territory consumption," which refers to a phenomenon where consumption follows individual domains rather than common trends among similar age groups. It means that consumption is segmented according to each person's interests, moving away from "what everyone else is doing."

Accordingly, Nikkei mentioned that it has become natural for people in their 30s and 40s to mix and interact with fans in their teens and 20s through social networking services (SNS) simply because they like the same idol, and sometimes meet offline at cafes. Having shared interests has become more important than age or affiliation.

A grandmother participating in Suntory's 'Be Supporters'. She is wearing the uniform of her favorite team in the Japanese J-League and holding a fan cheering for her favorite player. (Photo by Suntory website)

As consumer characteristics change like this, companies' social contribution projects and marketing methods are also adapting. The Japanese Suntory Group launched the "Be Supporters" project to support the mental and physical health of elderly people in the 100-year life era. The project aims to introduce the joy of fan activities enjoyed by younger generations to the elderly and promote understanding between generations. It is a project that brings joy to elderly people in nursing facilities by having them wear uniforms and cheer at weekend matches, and it has gained great popularity. Currently, about 6,000 elderly people participate annually in cheering for teams in Japan's J-League soccer.

Convenience store Lawson, on the other hand, removed buttons that recorded shoppers' gender and age at the checkout counters five years ago. It has become difficult to categorize consumer characteristics by age or gender anymore. Currently, they analyze consumer needs based on nine consumer profiles divided by values and other factors.

Nikkei added, "Shoreika is expected to bring new possibilities to corporate marketing," and said, "As people are freed from age and attributes, the market will expand even further."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.