How strong and generalisable is the Generation Y effect? A cross‐cultural study for wine

Purpose – This study aims to investigate how strongly Generation Y consumers differ in their values, attitudes and wine and alcoholic beverage consumption behaviour from older generations. The comparison spans seven culturally different markets. Design/methodology/approach – Large representative samples totalling 11,622 wine consumers responded to a standardised survey. A factorial analysis of variance was used to determine the main and interaction effects of markets and generations. Findings – Although significant differences were found between generations, their explained variance is very low. There were significant trans‐cultural similarities in generational differences for values and wine consumption behaviour: Gen‐Y is more oriented towards hedonic success and status and less towards social values; Gen‐Y is more likely to consume white and rosé than red wine and is most promiscuous in its alcoholic beverage consumption. A number of noticeable differences appeared between countries: wine involvement and consumption increases with age in traditional European wine markets, while they decrease in North America; environmental concerns and purchase channel usage hardly differ between generations but vary strongly between markets. Originality/value – This is the first study to quantify the effect size of generational differences using large representative samples across countries with different cultural backgrounds, including traditional and established wine consumption nations.