Move over Millennials

Millennials have been in the spotlight as of late, but Gen Z-ers (born 1996-2012) are quickly approaching a pivotal role in the workplace and marketplace. Who are they?

Millennials have been in the spotlight as of late, but Gen Z-ers (born 1996-2012) are quickly approaching a pivotal role in the workplace and marketplace. Who are they? Most of Gen Z does not remember a time before social media. They self educate via YouTube and other online outlets, and are expected to surpass Millennials’ college graduation rates. Many of the defining events of this generation have yet to take place, although the Great Recession, marriage equality and the Affordable Care Act are a few events already shaping their lives. This week, #scarystats gets to know Gen Z.

Daily Life

1. Gen Z-ers multitask across at least five screens a day and spend 41% of time outside of school/work with computers or mobile devices compared to 22% of Millennials 10 years ago. (source)

2. Teens send and receive over 67 texts every day (on top of other IM services, such as Snapchat or Facebook Messenger). (source)

3. Almost half (42%) of Gen Z feels that social media has a direct impact on how they feel about themselves. (source)

4. 56% of Gen Zers in the U.S. know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns. (source)

Education

1. One in two Gen Z-ers will be University educated, versus 1 in 4 Millennials. (source)

2. 82% of Gen Z-ers plan to go from high school directly to college. (source)

Consumers

1. By 2020, Gen Z will account for almost 40% of consumers. (source)

2. 49% of the teens shopped online once a month, even though most of them don’t even have credit cards yet. (source)

3. The percentage who say a loyalty program makes a store special to them drops from 45% for Millennials to 30% for Gen Z. (source)

Society

1. Only 26% of Gen Z have trust for elected officials. Although this is low, only 19% of older generations trust elected officials. (source)

2. Almost half (47%) of Gen Z says voting is important, even though they are not old enough to vote. (source)

3. Gen Z is 55% more likely to want to start a business and hire others than Millennials. (source)