Today’s generation of young adults are known as Z, following Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Many stereotypes about this generation may or may not reflect reality. Let’s unpack what’s real about this often-misunderstood generation with nine facts about the reality of growing up in Generation Z.
9 Gen Z Facts
1. Teenagers and Generation Z members take academic success seriously. (Source)
While only 49% of adults believe that teens consider academic success very or extremely important, 71% of teens said they found it important. In fact, more teens ranked this higher than other subjects like family time, friends, social media, and video games.
2. Gen Z was born between the late 90s and early 2010s. (Source)
Gen Z are currently hitting life milestones after growing up in a world full of smartphones and social media. Some of their experiences, though, have led them to be prone to anxiety, eager to travel, and pragmatic about work.
3. Gen Z has the highest prevalence of mental illness of any generation. (Source)
People in this generation don’t have a positive outlook and feel a sense of stigma about their generation. The pessimism is attributed to global chaos, such as unrest, war, financial crises, and educational disruptions.
4. Gen Z Americans are more diverse than previous generations. (Source)
1 in 4 members of Gen Z are Hispanic, a rise from previous generations. Non-Hispanic whites used to be the majority, but they now only have a narrow majority at 52%.
5. Gen Z are most likely to hold back their emotions at work. (Source)
This is especially true when it comes to resigning from a job. Gen Z are the most likely to hold back their negative feelings, more than Gen X, Millennials, and Boomers.
6. Gen Z believes values should be at the heart of their work. (Source)
Gen Z wants to find purpose and meaning in their work and have a strong drive to make the world a better place. Gen Z are more likely to research a company before accepting a job to examine its business ethics and values.
7. Gen Z is more fiscally conservative and financially aware. (Source)
1 in 3 members of Gen Z say they’re concerned about their family’s financial stability. Their brand loyalty isn’t as strong as previous generations, and the constant bombardment of advertisements has made them less influenced by marketing schemes.
8. Gen Z has an unfair reputation for being lazy and soft. (Source)
Gen Z has earned this reputation because few of them take after-school and summer jobs that young people and teenagers used to fill. But these critics fail to realize that these jobs aren’t as readily available as they once were in a strained economy, and that many Gen Zers have used creativity and entrepreneurship to figure out how to make money online.
9. Gen Z values in-person social connections. (Source)
While Gen Z is stereotyped as being chronically online, they still value in-person relationships, perhaps even more so because of their exposure to social media. Many members of Gen Z say they wish they spent less time online.
Featued image photo credit: Kaboompics.com
