For the last couple of years, millennials have been at the center of attention. Yet, today, there’s a new sheriff in town — Generation Z. This generation consists of people born between 1995 and 2015, and if we are to believe the latest Generation Z statistics, this particular age group is looking to make a long-lasting effect on the planet — and for the better!
Namely, this is a generation of young, open-minded individuals who were born in the digital age. They are creative, competitive, and independent. Better yet, they’ve just entered the working world and they’re here to stay (for quite a while).
Interested to know more? Then take a quick glance at our highlights below!
Top 10 Most Interesting Generation Z Facts and Statistics
- Gen Z makes up only 2% of the US workforce.
- Generation Z spends an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes on social media daily.
- 89% of Gen Zers use YouTube at least once a week.
- 68% of Gen Zers stays up late at night due to the stress.
- 25% of Gen Zers are Hispanic, demographics from 2019 show.
- 22% of Gen Zers are raised by at least one immigrant parent.
- A whopping 50% of Gen Zers blame human activity as the #1 cause for climate change.
- 48% of Gen Zers say that same-sex marriages are good for society.
- Gen Z is the loneliest generation in the US.
- Gen Zers are enrolling for college more than any other generation before them.
General Generation Z Statistics
1. Gen Z makes up only 2% of the US workforce.
(ITA Group)
According to last year’s data, Generation Z makes up 24% of the entire US population. Yet, only a small fraction of them are part of the current workforce; the situation is soon to change, however. Namely, most members of this generation are still getting their education and are yet to start working — hence the smaller percentage.
2. 77% of Gen Z registered voters disapproved of how Trump handled his job.
(Pew Research Center)
Despite this being a relatively young generation, Generation Z and political views go hand in hand. Members of this generation are deeply interested in politics and pose a strong opposition to the current political climate.
For instance, only 22% of Gen Zers approves the current president’s doings, whereas a vast majority of them oppose it. On the other hand, millennial voters are a lot more lenient when it comes to this question and approximately 32% of them were in favor of Trump as president.
3. Generation Z spends an average of 2 hours and 55 minutes on social media daily.
(The World Economic Forum)
Judging how they were born in a technological paradise (so to speak), it’s not surprising that Gen Zers spend a lot of their free time online. Namely, when it comes to Generation Z and social media, they use it much more than other generations — a whopping 2 hours and 55 minutes!
Gen Zers are closely followed by millennials who spend an average of 2 hours and 38 minutes per day on social media. Gen X takes third place (1 hour and 49 minutes). And Baby Boomers take the last spot with just 1 hour and 12 minutes.
4. 89% of Gen Zers use YouTube at least once a week.
(American Express)
The most popular online platform for Gen Zers is none other than YouTube. Instagram (75%) and Snapchat (68%) follow suit and also plays a huge role in Generation Z social media statistics.
Millennials, on the other hand, use more platforms, with Facebook being the one they use the most (87%). Millennials also spend their time on YouTube (86%), Instagram (71%), Snapchat (52%), Twitter (42%), and Pinterest (42%).
5. Only 36% of Gen Zers use Facebook weekly.
(The Manifest) (Digital Marketing Community)
Facebook is no longer as popular with the younger generations. Yet, the older generations love it more than ever. For instance, 96% of Baby Boomers use Facebook at least once a week. They also use Instagram and WhatsApp more than other generations too.
Generation Z Characteristics
6. Around 38% of Generation Z customers prefer personalized ads.
(eMarketer)
Unlike other generations, over a third of Gen Zers likes having personalized ads in their social media feeds. Another 42% even think that ads based on their interests and shopping habits are great for finding new products.
7. 68% of Gen Zers stays up late at night due to stress.
(Voice of America)
Generation Z depression statistics are a huge cause for concern. In just 8 years, the depression rate among teenagers aged 14 to 17 increased by over 60%. When it comes to older Gen Zers (those aged 18 to 21), they often experience symptoms of stress such as feeling sad (58%), lack of interest (55%), and feeling anxious (54%).
8. 44% of Gen Zers spend their free time watching TV and movies.
(IBM)
Apart from their favorite pastime — spending time online (74%) — nearly half of all Gen Zers reported watching TV, hanging out with friends, and spending time with family as their top pastimes.
9. 25% of Gen Zers are Hispanic, demographics from 2019 show.
(Pew Research Center)
Gen Z and diversity also go hand in hand. Namely, a staggering 1 in 4 Gen Zers in the US is Hispanic, which has never happened before! Moreover, besides Caucasians, there’s also a considerable number of black (14%), Asian (6%), and other (5%) Gen Zers, making them a truly melting-pot generation.
10. 22% of Gen Zers are raised by at least one immigrant parent.
(Pew Research Center)
Speaking of diversity, it’s interesting that Gen Zers are less likely to be immigrants than millennials. Only 6% of them are immigrants, whereas 7% of millennials were born outside of the US. However, Gen Zers are much more likely to have immigrant parents than millennials (14%). The real change, though, is expected in the years to come with generations coming after Generation Z.
Generation Z Behaviors
11. A whopping 50% of Gen Zers blame human activity as the #1 cause for climate change.
(Pew Research Center)
Despite being young, Gen Zers are incredibly eco-conscious. For them, the human factor is the number one reason for Earth’s warmer climate. On the other hand, merely 14% of Gen Zers believe natural patterns are to blame. Another 10% of them claim that there’s a lack of evidence, whereas 22% aren’t sure why it is happening.
12. 48% of Gen Zers say that same-sex marriages are good for society.
(Pew Research Center)
When it comes to Generation Z and social issues, they are pretty interested in them too. Almost half of them believe that gay and lesbian marriages are good, whereas only 15% of Gen Zers consider them bad for society. The remaining 36% stated that it doesn’t make a difference.
13. 71% of Gen Zers would love to learn how to cook.
(Foodable Network)
Judging how the Gen Z age range is on the younger side (5–24 years), it’s only natural that the vast majority of them are still learning how to cook properly. Nevertheless, more than half of them say that they enjoy cooking (53%), whereas merely 26% of them actually prepare their own meals — mostly eggs, pasta, rice, and cookies, among other foods.
14. Generation Z is predominantly an online generation when shopping is concerned.
(Criteo)
Gen Zers know the true meaning of online shopping. Over a six-month period, Gen Zers spend around $164 on apparel online, whereas offline they spend somewhat less — around $155. Apart from that, they mostly use their money to buy consumer electronics ($182 online and $125 offline), as well as toys, games, and sporting goods ($124 online and $94 offline).
15. A staggering 70% of Gen Zers are subscribed to Netflix.
(Statista)
As far as Gen Z trends for 2020 are concerned, they are quick to adapt and follow all the latest rage, especially the tech ones. For instance, most Gen Zers are subscribed to Netflix, compared to Baby Boomers with just 39%.
16. Most Gen Zers follow at least one influencer.
(Mobile Marketer)
Speaking of trends, Gen Zers often follow influencers. More precisely, about 70% of them follow at least one influencer. The most common platforms for these activities are YouTube and Instagram. Interestingly, around 44% of Gen Zers purchased an item or service due to influencer recommendations.
Facts About Generation Z
17. Gen Z is the loneliest generation in the US.
(Addiction Center)
According to one study, Gen Z scored 48.3 overall on the loneliness scale — the highest of any generation. Millennials follow suit with 45.3, Gen X with 45.1, Baby Boomers with 42.4, and the Silent Generation scored the lowest — merely 38.6.
18. Gen Zers are enrolling for college more than any other generation before them.
(Pew Research Center)
What’s more, 43% of Gen Zers live with at least one parent that has a bachelor’s degree, which is a lot more than Millennials back in 2002 (32%) — hence the influence. Also, seeing how Generation Z years are up to 24, a lot of them are old enough to attend college; approximately 59% of them enrolled in 2017.
19. About a third of Gen Zers know someone who uses a gender-neutral pronoun.
(Quartz)
Gen Zers have some groundbreaking attitudes. More than half of them (59%) believe that forms should not inquire about a person’s gender nor should they be limited to just male and female options. They are also the generation with the most acquaintances that use gender-neutral pronouns (35%), compared to millennials (25%) and Gen Xers (16%), Generation Z statistics show.
20. Nearly half of all Gen Zers say people should be more careful when it comes to offensive language.
(Pew Research Center)
Gen Z’s opinions vary immensely when it comes to the use of offensive language. Despite 46% of them claiming that people should be more careful with their use of language, another 53% believe that people are too easily offended.
21. Gen Zers are extremely knowledge-driven, more so than other generations.
(LinkedIn)
Albeit they don’t make up much of the workforce, Gen Zers are still invaluable team members. One of the reasons is their constant desire to learn new things and improve. These aspirations include improving at the job (62%), making more money (59%), and getting promoted (46%).
FAQs
What percentage of consumers are Gen Z?
(Geomarketing)
Gen Z encompasses various life stages (the younger ones in particular). As such, with each passing year, there’s an increasing number of Gen Z consumers. In fact, by the end of 2020, 40% of all consumers will come from this age group. Plus, experts expect another $4 billion in discretionary spending by the year’s end, which is nothing to sneeze at!
What does Generation Z want?
(Adobe)
Gen Zers have a lot to offer, yet they expect a lot from their employers in return. For instance, they want to work with cutting-edge technologies (77%). They also want more human interaction; more specifically, this generation wants to work in an office, within a team.
Up to 24-year-olds want to make an impact on the social and environmental spheres and are driven by purpose and meaning; not just by a paycheck.
What does Gen Z value most?
(EHS Today)
Generation Z wants to do something purposeful. Money is important, but it isn’t crucial. Instead, they value flexibility and stability. Getting feedback and improving constantly is preferred. Learning and having supportive managers is essential. They want to enjoy their work and avoid stressful work environments as much as possible.
How many Gen Z are there in the world?
(New York Post) (Flux Trends)
Gen Z has become the largest age group on the planet. As of now, it makes 32% of the global population; in other words, 2.47 billion people on this planet are, in fact, part of Generation Z.
The number of Generation Alphas is also pretty high (those born from 2010 to 2024). It is estimated that 2.5 million Generation Alpha babies are born every week. Given time, they too will take over the world, figuratively speaking.
What generation comes after Gen Z and what are they like?
(HuffPost)
Social researcher Mark McCrindle came up with the term “Generation Alpha” in 2005. It is used to determine all those born between 2010 and 2024. Obviously, a lot of Generation Alphas are yet to be born into this world.
Gen Alpha is also called Generation Glass or screenagers due to the fact they are surrounded with technology from an early age. Just think about it — how many digital screens are we using right now to make our lives easier? Hence, this generation is expected to be very creative, yet struggle with social formation.
Final Thoughts
Generation Z — Earth’s largest age group — is a generation of progressive, open-minded young individuals who have strong values, beliefs, and attitudes, looking to make a lasting difference. As the latest Generation Z statistics have shown, this particular age group is striving to make both our present and future better, and not just for us but also for the generations that are to follow.
