Data from Deloitte's 2022 global Gen Z and Millennial Survey shows that a third of Gen Z respondents worry about the cost of living above all other concerns; 45% live pay-cheque-to-pay-cheque, and just more than a quarter doubt they'll retire comfortably.
Gen Z wants mental healthcare but worries about paying for it. Gen Z is more likely to report receiving treatment or diagnosis for a mental-health condition but also the most likely to report being unable to afford mental-health services (a fifth, compared with 14 percent of all respondents).
70% of Gen Z say that anxiety and depression are significant problems among their peers. ² 30% of parents surveyed felt that their child was experiencing negative effects on their emotional or mental health due to social distancing and school closures.
Born between 1995 and 2010, this generation have already found themselves up against immense challenges as they make their way into adulthood: climate change, inequality and social unrest, political division, economic distress and more.
Inflation is the top problem Gen Z and Millennials name as the biggest they are facing today. Over-dependence and addiction to technology ranked second as the top problem among young people for the first time. However, racism and COVID-19 are still top concerns for these gens.
Yousef said some of the burnout Gen Z is experiencing is likely from poor “digital hygiene,” meaning they don't know how to log off—including from work. She says that employers can have a major role to play in helping Gen Z workers have a healthy relationship with work and technology.
Clarity into career paths and internal mobility opportunities. Gen Z is known as entrepreneurial and looking for a sense of ownership. They want to tackle exclusive projects that help them develop their skills, with nearly 1 in 5 Gen Zers stating they would stay at an employer that offers upskilling/reskilling.
Gen Z Terms and Definitions
Pew Research recently defined Gen Z as anyone born 1997 onwards. 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.”
Gen Z's average reported stress level (5.3) is higher than the overall average, as are the reported stress levels for Millennials, who have the highest average (5.7), and Gen X (5.1).
New research on mental health has found that 42 percent of Gen Z young adults currently have a diagnosed mental health condition –anxiety and depression being the most common diagnosis.
The biggest mental health issue Gen Z deals with is anxiety. Nine out of ten Gen Z with diagnosed mental health conditions struggle with anxiety, and nearly eight out of ten (78%) are battling depression. Other mental health conditions the generation faces are ADHD (27%), PTSD (20%), and OCD (17%).
Generation Z is the best example of people who care about social justice, climate change, and political issues. The Pew Research Center says that more than half of Gen Zers are from different ethnic groups. These ethnically-diverse individuals want social justice reform.
A report from OCAD University revealed that 73% of Gen Z believe they need more self-expression to live a happy, healthy life. Before social media, a person expressed themselves by how they dressed, how they wore their hair, where they worked, the car they drove and the music they listened to, among other things.
One-third (32%) of Gen Z respondents say they are the hardest-working generation ever, with Millennials ranked as the second-hardest working generation at 25%. More than half (56%) say the Silent Generation is the least hardworking generation of all time.
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 ...
Currently, rising inflation is pushing up prices around the world, and worker pay is not keeping pace, intensifying struggles. To pay their bills and get closer to milestones like home ownership, Hollingdale says Gen Z workers feel pressured to pick up additional work, potentially increasing chances of burnout.
Psychologist Jean Twenge has defined Generation Z as the "iGeneration" using a range of those born between 1995 and 2012. The Australian Bureau of Statistics uses 1996 to 2010 to define Generation Z in a 2021 Census report.
Generation Z has often been labelled as lazy, but that is due to the growth in the efficiency of life with more technology. Self-absorbed. Screen-obsessed.
This book also reveals that as a result of “social media and texting replacing other activities, [Gen Z] spends less time with their friends in person,” resulting in “unprecedented levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness.” Twenge looks into the reason why Gen Z is seeming to age more slowly than its predecessors ...
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.
Gen Z is more open to discussing their mental health than the generations before. As the first generation to grow up with the internet and social media being readily available since birth, Gen Zers are more comfortable sharing their personal stories online.