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A few years ago, they were disaffected slackers. Now, they're soulmates of the Private Ryan generation. Who could blame Gen Xers if they felt exhausted by this long march across the moral landscape? The slacker stereotype flourished briefly, even in the absence of much data to support it. Now, Yankelovich Partners says polling among Xers, Boomers and Matures (as it dubs Boomers' elders) detects an affinity between the oldest and youngest of these groups. Indeed, it says the Matures "are poised to be a guiding force to Gen Xers as they enter family formation and strive to make 'better' choices than did their Boomer parents." As the chart shows, Xers often embrace the traditionalist views Boomers rejected when they were young. Other Yankelovich polling finds similarities in Xers' and Matures' social views, as when 84 percent of the former and 88 percent of the latter agree that "Men have changed a lot, but women still main nurturers." One moral the polling firm draws for advertisers: "Consider Matures as spokespeople to Gen Xers." It'd be fun to see them try, certainly.