Generation Z
Generation Z (often shortened to Gen Z), colloquially known as Zoomers,[1][2][3] 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. Most members of Generation Z are the children of Generation X or older Millennials.[4][5]
For the song, see Generation Z (song).
As the first social generation to have grown up with access to the Internet and portable digital technology from a young age, members of Generation Z, even if not necessarily digitally literate, have been dubbed "digital natives".[6][7][8][9] Moreover, the negative effects of screen time are most pronounced in adolescents, as compared to younger children.[10] Compared to previous generations, members of Generation Z tend to live more slowly than their predecessors when they were their age,[11][12] have lower rates of teenage pregnancies, and consume alcohol (but not necessarily other psychoactive drugs) less often.[13][14][15] Generation Z teenagers are more concerned than older generations with academic performance and job prospects,[16][11] and are better at delaying gratification than their counterparts from the 1960s, despite concerns to the contrary.[17] Sexting among adolescents has grown in prevalence; the consequences of this remain poorly understood.[18] Youth subcultures have not disappeared, but they have been quieter.[19][20] Nostalgia is a major theme of youth culture in the 2010s and 2020s.[21][22][23]
Globally, there is evidence that the average age of pubertal onset among girls has decreased considerably compared to the 20th century, with implications for their welfare and their future.[24][25][26][27][28] Furthermore, the prevalence of allergies among adolescents and young adults in Generation Z is greater than the general population;[29][30] there is greater awareness and diagnosis of mental health conditions,[16][15][31][32] and sleep deprivation is more frequently reported.[7][33][34] In many countries, Gen Z youth are more likely to be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities and psychiatric disorders than older generations.[35][36]
Around the world, members of Generation Z are spending more time on electronic devices and less time reading books than before,[37][38][39] with implications for their attention spans,[40][41] vocabulary,[42][43] academic performance,[44] and future economic contributions.[37] In Asia, educators in the 2000s and 2010s typically sought out and nourished top students; in Western Europe and the United States, the emphasis was on poor performers.[45] East Asian and Singaporean students consistently earned the top spots in international standardized tests in the 2010s.[46][47][48][49]
Date and age range
Researchers and popular media have loosely used the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years for defining Generation Z.
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines Generation Z as "the generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s."[64] The Collins Dictionary define Generation Z as "members of the generation of people born between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s.[65] The Oxford Dictionaries define Generation Z as "the group of people who were born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, who are regarded as being very familiar with the internet."[66] Encyclopedia Britannica defines Generation Z as "Americans born during the late 1990s and early 2000s."[67]
The Pew Research Center has defined 1997 as the starting birth year for Generation Z, basing this on "different formative experiences", such as new technological and socioeconomic developments, as well as growing up in a world after the September 11 attacks.[68] Pew has not specified an endpoint for Generation Z, but used 2012 as a tentative endpoint for their 2019 report.[68] Numerous news outlets use a starting birth year of 1997, often citing Pew Research Center.[a] Various think tanks and analytics companies also have set a 1997 start date,[b] as do various management and consulting firms.[c] In a 2022 report, the U.S. Census designates Generation Z as "the youngest generation with adult members (born 1997 to 2013)."[86] Statistics Canada used 1997 to 2012, citing Pew Research Center, in a 2022 publication analyzing their 2021 census.[87] The Library of Congress uses 1997 to 2012, citing Pew Research as well.[88]
Other news outlets have used 1995 as the starting birth year of Generation Z.[d] As do various management and consulting firms.[e] Psychologist Jean Twenge defines Generation Z as the "iGeneration" with a cohort of those born between 1995 and 2012.[96] The Australian Bureau of Statistics use 1996 to 2010 to define Generation Z in a 2021 Census report.[97] Similarly, various management and consulting firms have used 1996 as a starting date for Generation Z.[f]
Individuals born in the Millennial and Generation Z cusp years have been sometimes identified as a "microgeneration" with characteristics of both generations. The most common name given for these cuspers is Zillennials.[101][102]
Median age by country in years in 2017. The youth bulge is evident in parts of Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Population pyramid of the world in 2018
Economic trends
Consumption
As consumers, members of Generation Z are typically reliant to the Internet to research their options and to place orders. They tend to be skeptical and will shun firms whose actions and values are contradictory.[153][154] Their purchases are heavily influenced by trends promoted by "influencers" on social media,[155][156] as well as the fear of missing out (FOMO) and peer pressure.[157] The need to be "trendy" is a prime motivator.[156]
In the West, while majorities might signal their support for certain ideals such as "environmental consciousness" to pollsters, actual purchases do not reflect their stated views, as can be seen from their high demand for cheap but not durable clothing ("fast fashion"), or preference for rapid delivery.[153][154][155] Despite their socially progressive views, large numbers are still willing to purchase these items when human rights abuses in the developing countries that produce them are brought up.[156] However, young Western consumers of this cohort are less likely to pay a premium for what they want compared to their counterparts from emerging economies.[153][154]
In the United Kingdom, Generation Z's general avoidance of alcohol and tobacco has noticeably reduced government revenue in the form of the 'sin tax'.[158]
Employment
According to the International Labor Organization (ILA), the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified youth unemployment, but unevenly. By 2022, youth unemployment stood at 12.7% in Africa, 20.5% in Latin America, and 8.3% in North America.[159]
In the early 2020s, Chinese youths find themselves struggling with job hunting. University education offers little help.[160] In fact, due to the mismatch between education and the job market, those with no university qualifications are less likely to be unemployed.[161] By June 2023, China's unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 was about one fifth.[162] In Germany, some public officials are recommending shorter work weeks at the same salary levels in spite of the struggling German economy. The situation is similar in other European countries.[163] In the United States, the youth unemployment rate (16–24) was 7.5% in May 2023, the lowest in 70 years.[164] American high-school graduates could join the job market right away,[165] with employers offering them generous bonuses, high wages, and apprenticeship programs in order to offset the ongoing labor shortage.[166]
Health issues
Mental
In general, teenagers and young adults are especially vulnerable to depression and anxiety due to the changes to the brain during adolescence. While the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental-health problems for people of all ages, the increase was most noticeable for people aged 15 to 24. A 2021 meta-analysis suggests that globally, the most likely age for the onset of depressive disorder is 19.5 years and generalized anxiety disorder is 15.5 years. [177]
Data from the British National Health Service (NHS) showed that between 1999 and 2017, the number of children below the age of 16 experiencing at least one mental disorder increased from 11.4% to 13.6%. The researcher interviewed older adolescents (aged 17–19) for the first time in 2017 and found that girls were two-thirds more likely than younger girls and twice more likely than boys from the same age group to have a mental disorder. In England, hospitalizations for self-harm doubled among teenage girls between 1997 and 2018, but there was no parallel development among boys. While the number of children receiving medical attention for mental health problems has clearly gone up, this is not necessarily an epidemic as the number of self-reports went up even faster possibly due to the diminution of stigma. Furthermore, doctors are more likely than before to diagnose a case of self-harm when previously they only treated the physical injuries.[32]
A 2020 meta-analysis found that the most common psychiatric disorders among adolescents were ADHD, anxiety disorders, behavioral disorders, and depression, consistent with a previous one from 2015.[36]
A 2021 UNICEF report stated that 13% of ten- to nineteen-year-olds around the world had a diagnosed mental health disorder whilst suicide was the fourth most common cause of death among fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds. It commented that "disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income, health and increase in stress and anxiety, [caused by the COVID-19 pandemic] is leaving many children and young people feeling afraid, angry and concerned for their future." It also noted that the pandemic had widely disrupted mental health services.[178] Anxiety over climate change has compounded the problem.[179] Though males remain more likely than females to commit suicide, the prevalence of suicide among teenage girls has risen significantly during the 2010s in many countries. Whether or not this can be attributed to the use of smartphones and social media networks remains debated, however.[180]
In some Western countries—Australia, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, and parts of the United States—, intervention programs have been set up to prevent depression among teenagers. However, funding has been limited as governments tend to focus on the here and now rather than preventing problems from arising in the future.[177]
A University of Hong Kong student shows support for the people in mainland China protesting against the COVID lockdown in 2022.
Amir Kabir University of Technology students protest against the hijab and the government in the aftermath of the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian morality police for allegedly violating the hijab code, 2022.
In the West, Generation Z's politics are largely similar to those of millennials.[195] In tandem with more members of Generation Z being able to vote in elections during the late 2010s and early 2020s, the youth vote has increased.[196][197] In the United States, Generation Z appears thus far to hold similar sociopolitical views to the millennials in that they tend to be more left-wing than preceding generations.[198][199][200] Polling on immigration receives mixed responses from Generation Z.[201][202] Among developed democracies, young people's faith in the institutions, including their own government, has declined compared to that of previous generations.[127] However, these broad trends conceal a significant gender divide across the Western world, with young women (under 30) being vocally left-leaning and young men being fiercely right-leaning on a variety of issues from immigration to sexual harassment.[203]
An early political movement primarily driven by Generation Z was School Strike for Climate in the late 2010s. The movement involved millions of young people around the world who followed the footsteps of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg to skip school in order to protest in favor of greater action on climate change.[204][205] Around the world, large numbers of people from this cohort feel angry, anxious, guilty, helpless, and sad about climate change and are dissatisfied with how their governments have responded so far.[179] However, their consumption choices (see above) reveal a gap between their stated values and their activism.[154][155][156]
Members of Generation Z who are active in politics are more likely than their elders to avoid buying from or working for companies that do not share their sociopolitical views, and they take full advantage of the Internet as activists.[127]