Millennials are often more optimistic, with a highly entrepreneurial and inventive mindset when it comes to decision-making. In direct contrast, Gen Z individuals are more risk-averse and cautious because they witnessed and read about the instability millennials experienced.
Strauss and Howe ascribe seven basic traits to the millennial cohort: special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented, conventional, pressured, and achieving.
The Similarities of Millennials and Gen Z-ers
These two groups actually have a major thing in common – their love of video storytelling and their love of Instagram. Alongside Instagram, YouTube is a major source of entertainment for both generations.
Not only are millennials open to change and adaptive, but they also seem to possess an extraordinary passion for learning new things. This generation exhibits deep curiosity about the world and displays the desire to further develop skills and knowledge that can help them within their professional lives.
In summary, a typical Gen Zer is a self-driver who deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, and, while dismayed about inherited issues like climate change, has a pragmatic attitude about ...
Millennials are often portrayed as having different career aspirations and goals from older generations. This stereotype stems from the fact that millennials change jobs more frequently and tend to have a shorter tenure with an employer.
About 2 in 5 (39%) of Gen Z respondents ranked inflation and gas prices as one of their top three issues, followed by abortion (30%), jobs (26%), and climate change (23%). Both Gen Zers and Millennials in our survey cited the same top two issues: inflation and access to reproductive healthcare.
Overall, it can be said that millennials are people born roughly between 1981 and 1995, and Gen Z are those born approximately between 1995 and 2012. As digital natives, millennials and Gen Z are used to learning and using new devices and software.
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.
Millennials are the most educated generation on record. A college degree is a prerequisite for an increasing share of jobs, a possible side effect of the bifurcation of the economy into high-skill and low-skill work. For the record, the education divide was wider than any other split we considered.
Born between 1981 and 1996, millennials are the largest generational cohort, comprising nearly 22 percent of the United States population and 35 percent of the U.S. workforce. They are tech-savvy, care about more than just a paycheck, and are accustomed to having a voice and a seat at the table.
Gen Z report higher levels of stress than millennials. Their constant connection to the internet means they are prone to comparing their lives to others. They are also highly involved in big world issues, and this sense of responsibility adds a layer of stress to their lives.
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.
Millennials: Born 1981-1996 (27-42 years old) Gen Z: Born 1997-2012 (11-26 years old) Gen Alpha: Born early 2010s-2025 (0-about 10 years old)
Gen Z also faces an unprecedented behavioral health crisis: US Gen Zers surveyed by McKinsey report the least positive outlook and the highest prevalence of mental illness of any generation, and European respondents report struggling with self-stigma.
In addition, 34% of Gen Z say they are worried about the future, and 24% are concerned about a lack of learning and jobs. This concern doesn't keep them from looking for the next opportunity however, with 48% of Gen Z and Millennials (those ages 18-35) planning to look for a new job in the next 12 months.
Millennials (Gen Y)
This generation is extremely comfortable with mobile devices, but 32% will still use a computer for purchases. They typically have multiple social media accounts.
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.
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.
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.
They value family, personal connection, and loyalty. They seek out the genuine and are repulsed by phony. They are famously optimistic and believe in the possibility of change. They advocate for the environment and social justice.