Gen Z consumer characteristics Gen Z'ers consumer characteristics tend to reflect their pragmatic approach to money and education. Other key influences are their affinity for technology, their belief in social causes, and a strong individualistic streak.
Characteristics of Generation Z
They're money-driven and ambitious. They love to travel. They're prone to anxiety. They're known to set boundaries.
Having a deep emotional connection has taken centre stage in their relationship dynamics. Gen Z is open to mixing friendships, romantic relationships, long-term commitments or "situationships" and creating the perfect balance to meet their emotional and physical needs.
How Much Time Does Gen Z Spend on Social Media? Morning Consult reports that 38% of Gen Zers spend over four hours a day on social media: By comparison, only 18% of U.S. adults spend that much time online — showing the generational differences when using social media.
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.
'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.
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.
Unlike previous generations, Gen Z has little to no memory of a world without the internet, smartphones, and social media. Technology is a substantial part of their life. Being continually connected can also result in self-esteem issues and feeling pressure to conform.
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. Of these people, 26% were diagnosed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which worsened mental health for many people of all ages.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, divorce rates are changing, too - but not in the way you might expect. 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.
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.
The study found that about half (49%) of millennials surveyed want to work fully remote, whereas only 27% of Generation Z (Gen Zers) feel the same way; they're much more likely than average “to be seeking in-person” work opportunities.
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).
Gen Z has learned to think, learn, and communicate in an environment defined by wireless internet ubiquity, wholesale technology integration, infinite content, and immediacy.
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.
Generation Z Battles Anxiety and Depression. Just 45% of Gen Zers report that their mental health is very good or excellent, according to the American Psychological Association. All other generation groups fared better on this statistic, including Millennials (56%), Gen Xers (51%) and Boomers (70%).
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.
They're impulsive. Another weakness of Gen Z is that they can be quite impulsive. With instant gratification being so easily accessible, this generation has difficulty waiting for anything. They want what they want and they want it now!
Forty-nine percent of managers say it's difficult to work with Gen Z all or most of the time, according to a recent Resume Builder survey of over 1,000 managers and business leaders. Seventy-four percent even believe Gen Z is more difficult to work with than other generations, and would prefer to work with millennials.
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.
Generation Z considers itself more accepting and open-minded than any generation before it. Almost half of Gen Zs are minorities, compared to 22% of Baby Boomers, and the majority of Gen Z supports social movements such as Black Lives Matter, transgender rights, and climate change.
Generation Z (or more commonly Gen Z for short), colloquially known as Zoomers, is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years.
GEN Z: REDEFINING HYPER-SENSITIVITY
Being sensitive simply means as a generation, Gen Z are more tuned into human emotions and more determined to take everyone's feelings into consideration.