While Gen Z reports high rates of anxiety and depression, calling them the "depressed generation" is an oversimplification, as research highlights significant mental health struggles alongside factors like social media, economic uncertainty, and global events, while also noting potential strengths in spirituality and digital engagement for support.
Generation Z (Gen Z) includes individuals born between 1995 and 2012. These individuals experience high rates of anxiety and depression.
TL;DR
Gen Z are more depressed and isolated than their coworkers—and feel less successful than other generations did at their age, according to new report. A survey from MetLife paints a picture of Gen Z as disconnected, stressed, and isolated—and a generation that feels less successful than their peers.
Across much of the world, it is no longer middle-aged adults who are the most miserable. Instead, young people, especially Gen Z, are reporting the highest levels of unhappiness of any age group.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
A Breed in Decay: Why U.S. Millennials and Gen Z Are Dying at an Alarming Rate — Faster Than Any Other Generation in Recent History.
Research suggests that people are the most unhappy at the age of 47.2 -- exactly how old I am today – before hitting a decades-long upswing.
Gen Z also appears to be the only generation to experience gun violence as the leading cause of death.
“About three quarters (73%) of Gen Z describe themselves as very happy or somewhat happy,” according to a 2024 report published by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. “However, this percentage declines significantly as Gen Z reaches adulthood, alongside many of the factors that coincide with happiness.”
Bae – Boyfriend or girlfriend.
The defining traits of Gen Z
For Gen Z, many of these fears stem from a combination of things: economic uncertainty and financial insecurity, climate concerns, student debt, job market instability, social media, rapid change and an overall loss of hope and purpose.
Age and generation both matter for happiness. As between generations, those born before 1965 (Boomers and their predecessors) have life evaluations about one-quarter of a point higher than those born after 1980 (Millennials and Gen Z).
Student Loan Debt Crisis
Student debt is a defining financial challenge for Millennials and Gen Z. With soaring education costs, many graduates take on substantial loans – with ongoing repayment commitments delaying major life milestones such as homeownership, starting a family, or saving for retirement.
While 73 percent of all Gen Z say they believe in God or a higher power and 47 percent believe Jesus is the only way to God, those numbers drop significantly among young adult women ages 18–24.
Accidents account for nearly one-half of all teenage deaths. As a category of accidents, motor vehicle fatality is the leading cause of death to teenagers, representing over one-third of all deaths.
Compared to the 70-year life expectancy of baby boomers and the 85-year life expectancy of Gen X, Gen Z is predicted to have a life expectancy of over 100 years.
The number one killer in the world is cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease and stroke, responsible for about one-third of all global deaths, claiming nearly 18-20 million lives annually, and remains the leading cause across all regions, according to WHO and World Heart Federation. While COVID-19 caused significant deaths in recent years, CVD has consistently held the top spot for decades, with increases seen globally, especially in younger populations.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
The observed age pattern for daily stress was remarkably strong: stress was relatively high from age 20 through 50, followed by a precipitous decline through age 70 and beyond.
The researchers found that quality of life worsens as people enter their sixties, but that it begins to drop much more rapidly in their seventies and eighties. An 80-year-old's quality of life deteriorates two and a half times faster than a 60-year-old's, on average.
It is a known fact that lifespan increases with each generation. For baby boomers, the average life expectancy is 70 years, for Gen X its 85, and newer generations like Gen Z and Alpha will likely exceed the 100-year mark.
The studies claim that death anxiety peaks in men and women when in their 20s, but after this group, sex plays a role in the path that one takes. Either sex can experience a decline in death concerns with age, but the studies show an unexpected second spike in women during their early 50s.
They have been called the "Unluckiest Generation" in the US, as the average millennial has experienced slower economic growth and more recessions since entering the workforce than any other generation in history.