What are the values of Gen Z? Gen Z is known for being resourceful, independent learners who value diversity and inclusive culture and place a priority on well-being and mental health in the workplace. They are fiscally conservative with a keen focus on investing and income. Gen Z values justice and equity.
Gen Zers are known for working, shopping, dating, and making friends online; in Asia, Gen Zers spend six or more hours per day on their phones. Digital natives often turn to the internet when looking for any kind of information, including news and reviews prior to making a purchase.
Gen-Z cares about following their passions, caring for the earth and demanding social and environmental justice from high-level decision-makers. As a result, they're more vocal, values-driven and individualized than generations that came before them.
From record collecting and the resurgence of Kate Bush to '90s grunge and Y2K aesthetics, Gen Z is obsessed with nostalgia.
Pop artist Billie Eilish is arguably one of the most popular Gen Zers. By the age of 19, her album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? has been streamed billions of times and she has won multiple Grammys – five at the 2020 Grammy Awards alone.
The Greatest Generation commonly refers to those Americans who were born in the 1900s through the 1920s. The Greatest Generation members all lived through the Great Depression and many of them fought in World War II. These individuals have often been described as driven, patriotic, and team-players.
Generation Z students are on track to become the most educated generation. They have higher high school graduation rates and lower dropout rates than those who came before. In 2018, 57% of 18 to 21-year olds were in college, compared with 52% of Millennials, and 43% of Gen Xers at similar ages.
Students fear a lack of finances and fulfilment
The greatest fears for Generation Z centre on not achieving their hopes and dreams for the future.
It starts with what values are important to Gen Z'ers and moves into what brands and products they rate. “Teens feel that being cool is about just being yourself, embracing what you love, rejecting what you don't, and being kind to others.”
'Devastating – economically, socially and much more'
In the short term, Gen Z's stress is leading to ambivalence and withdrawal in their professional lives. According to 2022 data from Gallup, they are the most disengaged group at work. They also report more overall stress and work-related burnout than other cohorts.
The survey found more Gen Zers reporting that they have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or depression. 18% of Gen Z reported an anxiety disorder diagnosis, and 23% reported they had been diagnosed with depression.
Gen Z and mental health. Regarding the stats, it's clear that Gen Z is struggling. A 2022 survey of Gen Z young adults (ages 19 through 24) found that 42% are diagnosed with a mental health condition.
One in four Gen Z respondents reported feeling more emotionally distressed (25 percent), almost double the levels reported by millennial and Gen X respondents (13 percent each), and more than triple the levels reported by baby boomer respondents (8 percent). 3.
And it looks like Gen Z is indeed shaping up to be a homebody generation as well: Looking at their favorite activities by age, 13-18-year-olds are the most likely to say they “go out with friends” for fun in an average night, but playing video or mobile tops their list, followed by watching TV or movies.
Zendaya. While some would argue that Zendaya is a Millennial, it would be disrespectful not to put Queen Z on the top of any “It Girl” list, as she's one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood right now.
Gen Z TikTokers aren't just downloading and absorbing content. They're creating it. 83% of TikTokers have created a video themselves. Since the platform makes it so easy to create, with intuitive in-app features and a simple interface, it's no wonder Gen Z are ready to put their content out there.
A CM Group consumer research effort that polled 1,000 consumers found Gen Z consumers are better educated, more practical, more ambitious and more skeptical than Millennials.
Gen Zers are hyperconnected individuals, inherently comfortable expressing themselves through digital creative tools. Valuing creativity is a core belief among many of them.
“Generationally, a larger majority of Gen Z adults do most of their work in person compared with their older counterparts, and this young cohort also shows the strongest overall preference for working in an office,” the study reads. Just shy of 90% of Gen Z workers who prefer the office cite productivity as the reason.
Members of Generation Z report higher rates of depression and a number of other mental health conditions than do generations before them. At the same time, they are more likely than previous generations to report these problems, positioning those who seek help in a place to receive it.
Gen Z has been called the 'most depressed generation' with the least positive outlook and diminished emotional and social well-being. They have more unmet social needs than any other generation. The statistics for their behavioural-health issues – mental and substance disorders – are alarming.
And a survey of 600 individuals found that Gen Z is the most unhappy generation at work. Just 59% of Gen Z workers are happy, compared to 69% for Baby Boomers and 76% for Millennials and Gen X. In addition, 9% of Baby Boomers are unhappy at work, compared to 26% of Gen Z and 13% for Gen X and Millennials.
Gen Z moms feel less confident.
They put more emphasis on being the "perfect mom" compared to Millennials, and they strive to reach more parenting ideals, from keeping kids busy to owning the scheduling for the entire family.
In terms of being parents, Gen Zers tend to view parenthood as identity-improving, and a role which enhances their lives. They are very child-focused, and want to be heavily involved in their children's lives.