Millennials defined as people born between 1981 and 1996, Pew decides

The term "Millennial" gets thrown around so much in various studies, articles and general discussion that it's understandable if you thought the term had an agreed-upon definition.

But the definition of Millennial largely depends on whom you are talking to.

For example, the Pew Research Center — which has used cutoffs for Millennials ranging from 1992 to 1999 — never had an official definition for Millennial until Thursday when it declared that from here on it will define Millennials as people born between 1981 and 1996.

Related: The malignant myth of the Millennial

"Pew Research Center has been studying the Millennial generation for more than a decade," said Michael Dimock, president of the non-partisan, non-advocacy research giant. "But as we enter 2018, it’s become clear to us that it’s time to determine a cutoff point between Millennials and the next generation."

"In order to keep the Millennial generation analytically meaningful, and to begin looking at what might be unique about the next cohort, Pew Research Center will use 1996 as the last birth year for Millennials for our future work," Dimock said. "Anyone born between 1981 and 1996 (ages 22-37 in 2018) will be considered a Millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward will be part of a new generation."

Although the next generation is often referred to as Generation Z, Pew decided "it's too early to give them a name" and will refer to them as post-Millennials until a common term takes hold.

Source: usatoday