Tipping is awkward because there are so many unwritten, ever-shifting social niceties at play. This is a somewhat embarrassing confession, but I didn’t realize until about 10 years ago—as a full-grown man with a mortgage—that many people add a bit extra for haircuts. I grew up in a small town with two tiny barber shops, and absolutely no one tipped for that service. I would have happily done so if I’d known better, but there wasn't a sign on the wall. (As with most things in life, my wise wife had to school me on that one.) And this is all before factoring in the amount you’re supposed to tip.
All of that makes me wonder: Is there a generational element involved here? If you get used to one price of gas or a fast-food combo meal, you probably groan when you see those numbers inflate. There are a ton of factors to consider, but perhaps researchers can shed some light on them. In June 2025, the personal-finance site Bankrate published the results of an in-depth survey of the tipping habits of 2,445 adults. They found several trends, including that 63% had at least one negative view of tipping. Their results also showed that the likelihood of tipping generally increased with age, with Gen Z and Millennials as the "least frequent tippers."
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Which generation tips the best?
They found that 25% of Gen Z and 45% of Millennials "always tip their hair stylist/barber," while Gen X (67%) and Boomers (71%) are at much higher rates. That pattern continued for both "always" tipping at sit-down restaurants (Gen Z at 43%, Millennials at 61%, Gen X at 83%, and Boomers at 84%) and "always tipping taxi/ride-share drivers (Gen Z at 23%, Millennials at 36%, Gen X at 50%, and Boomers at 61%).
Point-of-sale company SpotOn took a different approach, surveying 1,000 U.S. restaurant industry workers in 2024. The respondents voted the most generous tippers as Gen X (35%), followed by Millennials (31%), Boomers (17%), Gen Z (10%), and The Silent Generation (7%). Asked the inverse, 48% picked The Silent Generation as the worst tippers, with Gen Z at 42%.
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But why exactly? It's hard to say for sure.
So why do certain generations tip more than others? We have to assume there are exceptions to even the loosest rule—it’s not as if everyone from Gen Z is automatically a bad tipper, despite how many surveys roll in with similar results. "This trend might be cultural, economic, or both," BankRate noted. "Notably, the two younger generations were most likely to say not having a stable income is the reason money negatively impacts their mental health, according to Bankrate’s 2025 Money and Mental Health Survey. If a young person’s paycheck is already stretched thin, they may be less inclined to add extra dollars to the bill."
No matter who’s tipping or who they’re tipping or how much they’re tipping, the whole custom is the subject of seemingly never-ending debate. In one recent example, one Redditor went viral by sharing their encounter at a restaurant. After being handed a bill for $197.87, they left what they thought was a sensible tip of $25. But the server disagreed, handing it back to them and stating they only accepted tips in the 18-20% range.
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Representative Image: Money changing hands. 
Representative Image: It seemed like a great tip at first. 
Image Source: Reddit | 
Image Source: Reddit | 
Image Source: Reddit | 
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