Generation Z
What studies reveal about today’s youth
Always online and looking for answers for the future: How Generation Z finds their way in the modern world.
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Generation Z is networked, political and goes their own way. This includes conscious purchase decisions. This is how post-millennials tick.
The fact that younger generations often have little to do with the life plans of older people and their predecessor generation is not a new phenomenon. But how do generations tick in detail? Several studies are trying to find out – this is how the results describe Generation Z.
Who is Generation Z?
There is no general definition for Generation Z or for previous generations X and Y. As a rule, experts summarize the generations in 15-year segments. So they classify Generation Y between 1980 and 1994, Generation Z between 1995 and 2010. With “Alpha” a name has already been found for the following generation, born between 2011 and 2025.
Focus on sustainability
A Generation Z nickname is Generation Greta. The reference to the Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg (18) makes it clear: “There are many Gretas all over the world.” This is what former US President Barack Obama (60) recently put it at the World Climate Conference in Glasgow. The pension company In a study, Swiss Life Germany found that Generation Z is much more willing to invest their money in green and sustainable investments in a self-determined manner than previous generations. “The study shows that young people also think of sustainability in the context of their old-age provision. If they invest for the long term, it should be done in a way that conserves resources,” says Jörg Arnold, CEO of Swiss Life Germany, assessing the results. The reasons, however, are different for the different sexes. While ecological and social responsibility are paramount for female respondents, returns also count for men.
A Europe-wide survey by the auditing company PwC also found that almost half of the 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed are willing to pay higher prices for organic food or sustainably packaged products. In addition, a third of young people make sure to use as little plastic as possible (37 percent) and therefore buy products with as little packaging as possible (35 percent).
Not without a cell phone
Messenger, shopping, social media: Generation Z informs and organizes themselves online. Several studies confirm that adolescents and smartphones belong together. Already In 2017, the digital association Bitkom determined in a survey: Almost half of young people can no longer imagine a life without a mobile phone.
This has consequences for the consumption of young people: The majority of them only make purchase decisions after they have informed themselves on YouTube or among friends via social media. Companies must therefore rely on new forms of advertising. Individual stars as advertising media are becoming less popular, and the need to see “normal people” is growing in the younger generation.
Inner contradictions
Although environmental and sustainability issues are of fundamental importance to Generation Z, these are not the only guard rails. On the contrary: A study by the JOM agency comes to the result that around three quarters of the 14 to 25 year olds surveyed include Amazon as a purchase option, although less than 25 percent of those surveyed rate the company as sustainable. This also applies to young people’s favorite brands. In the JOM survey, sporting goods manufacturer Nike is at the top with 44 percent popularity, while tech company Apple comes in second. As with Amazon, however, only a good quarter of those surveyed are convinced of the sustainability of these brands.
According to this survey, the difference between young people who get involved in “Fridays For Future” demonstrations and those who do not is particularly clear. While Amazon and Apple are the most popular brands in both groups, a rift is opening up, especially when it comes to fashion: the organic brand Alnatura is the fourth most popular brand among FFF participants. In contrast, non-activists name the Chinese online fashion retailer Shein, which stands for fast fashion like no other company, as the fourth most popular brand.
Conclusion: Like all generations before her, Generation Z cannot be reduced to a few buzzwords. But trends such as sustainability, self-determination and digitization are definitely firmly anchored in the lives of the majority of those born between 1995 and 2010.