a generation which / who

[Frechdax91]

Hello

Which relative pronoun do you use in connection with "generation"?
which or who?
I am confused because I have found both versions on the internet but I think one must be more idiomatic for the English language?

Thank you

 

[Old Novice]

In my experience, you can use either one. Use of "who" tends to focus on the generation as individual people, while use of "that" or "which" focuses on the generation as a social or cultural group. The difference is pretty subtle, but here are two sentences I'd use with this sort of distinction in mind:

"Baby boomers are the generation that will have the biggest impact on the long-run viability of the social security system."

"Baby boomers are the generation who were most caught up in and affected by the antiwar movement of the 1960s."

 

[Frechdax91]

Thanks a lot!
Really good explanation.