TL;DR: Listening to music is the top activity Gen Z and Millennials do in their free time. Gen Z is much more likely to than Millennials to watch videos on YouTube and social media platforms. Gen Z is also more likely to play video games in their free time compared to Millennials.
Sports is Gen Z and Millennials' top hobby. Gen Z is more likely than Millennials to say gaming and dance are top hobbies. Art and music are also top hobbies for both gens, who prize creativity.
Generation Z Picks Reading As A Top Spare-Time Activity
In fact, more Gen Z respondents picked reading than reviewing social media (17%) or playing video and online games (17% and 16%, respectively). Other activities, however, have particular younger or older age skews.
According to a 2021 Consumer Culture Report by 5WPR, Gen Z is prioritizing electronics, technology, health, and wellness. Conversely, Millennials and those from older generations prioritize travel and experiences, home goods, and furniture.
Pew Research recently defined Gen Z as anyone born after 1996. Gen Z grew up with technology, the internet, and social media, which sometimes causes them to be stereotyped as tech-addicted, anti-social, or “social justice warriors.”
“Teens feel that being cool is about just being yourself, embracing what you love, rejecting what you don't, and being kind to others.”
They are pragmatic and value direct communication, authenticity and relevance. They also value self-care. They may be more likely than older people were when they were the age of the Gen Zers to question rules and authority because they are so used to finding what they need on their own.
Research has shown that Gen Z's attitudes towards dating and sex have evolved from the generations before them; they take an especially pragmatic approach to love and sex, and subsequently aren't prioritising establishing committed romantic relationships the same way their older peers once did.
Provide clear career paths, mentorship programs, and training to help attract Gen Z to your company. These programs can prove to Gen Z candidates that you value them for the long-term potential they bring to your company, not just for their ability to fill an entry-level role.
Gen Zers value flexibility and a work-life balance above all else. They prefer to work individually rather than in teams, and they often juggle multiple side gigs such as freelance work and their own businesses. They need the flexibility to pursue all of their interests and work independently and at their own pace.
Much of Gen Z has the financial basics down, though struggle with more complex topics such as investing and debt. Gen Z feels equipped to handle basic financial tasks, including budgeting (71%), managing day-to-day expenses (70%) and building/managing credit (65%).
Social media platforms, video games, and social media groups are the top places that young people are finding community overall—but Gen Z and Millennials' top responses are not the same.
The Economist has described generation Z as a better-educated, well-behaved, stressed, and depressed generation compared to previous generations. Gen Z is also more ethnically diverse and familiar with gender-neutral pronouns.
Gen Zers aren't prioritizing romantic relationships — or if they're open to one, they want it to happen organically. A majority (52%) expect to meet their significant other in person instead of via mutual acquaintances (30%) or an app (6%), according to the Goldman Sachs intern survey.
Gen Z's awareness and approach to mental health can have a positive influence on their parenting by allowing them to be emotionally healthy and drivers of open communication. It can also help shape a future generation that will understand, accept, and seek to treat their own mental health issues.
30% of millennials and Gen Z say that their financial situation is holding them back from dating. Gen Z is having less casual sex than previous generations. 24% of Gen Zers have sex on a casual basis. Attitudes to cheating and open relationships are more liberal than before.
While 83 percent of people born between 1928 and 1945 (dubbed “the Silent Generation”) were married by age 37, researchers predict that Gen Z - born between 1997 and 2012 - are marrying far less.
Eighty percent of Gen Z wants to get married at some point. Getting hitched is just no longer the nucleus of life. They see the historic problems within the institution and are ballsy enough the try and fix them—in their own way, of course.
Gen Zers are addicted to technology and can't handle face-to-face interactions. Gen Z is infamous for being the first generation that can't clearly recall a time before the Internet.
Generation Z is the generation that never had to deal with dial-up internet or brick-shaped mobile phones. They have grown up with the knowledge that they can speak to anyone around the world at a moment's notice, and through assorted social media networks, that's what they've been doing for their entire lives.
Generation Z characteristics are interesting and specific; Generation Z features avid gamers and music-goers, and they are known for being ever-present messaging, on the internet, on social networks, and on mobile systems—they are truly the “Digital-ites.” They tend to care about trends, but are also quick to research ...
Happiness levels average lower today for most adults under age 35 than they did in 2017. However, the data show that Gen Zers report the lowest levels of happiness on record in the past five-year timespan.
It's not just social media that has their attention. Most Gen Zers also use their smartphones for video streaming, music, and podcasts. The US Media Consumption Report from 2021 showed that 60% of Gen Zers stream music daily and 37% listen to podcasts weekly.
Gen Z is also the smartest and best educated generation. Having an unlimited wealth of information at our disposal has not gone to waste. In America, 57 percent of Gen Z is reported to have enrolled in a two-year or four-year college, compared to 52 percent of Millenials and 43 percent of Gen X.