Impacts of the "Baby Boom" generation, the 75 million persons born between 1947 and 1962 in the United States, are analyzed. Factors influencing this unprecedented increase in birth rates included "catching up" by men who had been at war, a higher proportion of women in childbearing years, a decrease in the average marriage age, and the prosperous post-war economic situation, all of which led to the procreation ethic. From 1945 to the present, the baby boom has influenced suburban areas, television programming, and advertising campaigns. Educational institutions, however, were initially caught off-guard, resulting in a strain on academic pursuits and socialization. These conditions led to problems on college campuses in the 1960s and 1970s, which have been described not as a gap between young and old, but rather as a gap between the few and the many. Forces currently affecting the baby boom generation include a poor economic outlook, employment difficulties, increasing numbers of women in the work force, and a generally lower feeling of well-being. Two potential targets for change will be health care costs and the social security system. Predictions are for a more liberal ideology, an upturn in the economic outlook, increased political activity, more women in politics, and a migration to rural areas. (KC)