Generation Z comprises people born between 1996 and 2010. This generation's identity has been shaped by the digital age, climate anxiety, a shifting financial landscape, and COVID-19. Gen Z is currently the second-youngest generation, with millennials before and Generation Alpha after.
Generation Z (Gen Z) refers to the generation of Americans born from 1997 to 2012. The oldest members of Gen Z are starting their post-education years, with new careers and, possibly, families; the youngest are 10.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE Z OR CENTENNIAL GENERATION
Aged between eight and 23 years old, generation Z or the post-millennial generation will take the lead in a few decades.
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.
Millennials and Gen Z are less enthusiastic about having children than their parents. The reasons are many: financial, social, and biological, along with the preference among younger generations for “freedom.”
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 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.
And an American Psychological Association report found that Gen-Z is more likely to report mental health concerns than any other demographic group. This is no surprise, as Gen-Z has been at the forefront of some of the world's most traumatic events and experiences, from the global pandemic to mass school shootings.
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.
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.
What Is Generation Alpha? Generation Alpha includes anyone born between 2010 and now, including up to the year 2024. This means that the oldest members of Gen Alpha are 13 years old. This youngest generation is defined by the digital world.
Gen Z: Born 1997-2012 (11-26 years old) Gen Alpha: Born early 2010s-2025 (0-about 10 years old)
Gen Z has learned to think, learn, and communicate in an environment defined by wireless internet ubiquity, wholesale technology integration, infinite content, and immediacy.
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.
They use traditional words (with brand new meanings) to describe the excitement, community, culture, an inside joke, and things unique to their age group. Gen Z ers are the ones setting mainstream trends, but they're super low-key about it.
Other mental health conditions the generation faces are ADHD (27%), PTSD (20%), and OCD (17%).
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.
Gen Z (42%) is about twice as likely as Americans over 25 (23%) to battle depression and feelings of hopelessness.
For a majority of Gen Z youth, gun violence—mass shootings and school shootings—are significant sources of stress. 75 percent of those in this age group report mass shootings as a significant source of stress, and nearly as many (72 percent) say the same about school shootings or the possibility of them occurring.
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.
Generation Z
They are colloquially known as "zoomers", which surprisingly was not coined after Zoom, the video chat service, but instead is a play on the term 'boomers' and refers to the fast-paced nature of Gen Z's upbringing, amidst the explosion of technology and culture.
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.