3 Common Trends of Gen Z Compared to Older Generations
By: Aria Spears
Generation Z (or Y) is composed of everyone born between the years of 1996 and 2010. Current high schoolers fit within this generation and Pew Research identified key ways this generation differs from those in the past. You might be part of Generation Z, or perhaps you are an educator who works with Gen Z’s on a regular basis. In this article, we’ll discuss three of these trends.
More educated than past generations
In a 2019 population survey, Pew Research discovered Gen Z faces a different educational trajectory than past generations. Students are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to enroll in college. As they note:
Among 18- to 21-year-olds no longer in high school in 2018, 57% were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college. This compares with 52% among Millennials in 2003 and 43% among members of Gen X in 1987.
This could be partly due to their parents being more likely to be college educated. The Annie F. Casey Foundation noted that 35% of children nationwide grew up in a household led by someone with at least an associate’s degree. This statistic rose to 44% by 2018. There are many factors that influence the education rates of Generation Z.
Discussion Questions:
How do you think increased education rates affect how you and your Gen Z friends see the world?
What else do you think might have caused higher rates of education?
Do less paid work
Pew Research also found that as education rates have increased, the rates of paid work among Gen Z decreased. Gen Z tend to do fewer hours of work than past generations:
Gen Zers are less likely to be working than previous generations when they were teens and young adults. Only 18% of Gen Z teens (ages 15 to 17) were employed in 2018, compared with 27% of Millennial teens in 2002 and 41% of Gen Xers in 1986. And among young adults ages 18 to 22, while 62% of Gen Zers were employed in 2018, higher shares of Millennials (71%) and Gen Xers (79%) were working when they were a comparable age.
This article notes that lower employment rates could stem from increased time spent on educational activities. Less time working could mean less work experience to show after graduation when searching for a longer-term role. However, Spirit Box provides real-world business experience as an in-school activity, so you’ll be gaining experience even while you’re not doing paid work.
Discussion Questions:
What percentage of your peers do paid work outside of school? What difference do you think it makes?
How do you think Gen Z’s views of work differ from past generations? (If you think it does!)
Feel concerned about mental health among peers
Since the onset of COVID in 2020, it is no secret that mental health challenges have continued to rise across generations, but especially among Gen Z students. In the CDC’s Adolescent Behaviors & Experiences Survey, they found that 37% of students at both public and private schools said their mental health was not good all or most of the time during the pandemic, including anxiety, depression and stress. This number is higher among girls (49%) than boys (23%). In 2017, Pew Research found that the number of teens experiencing depression increased 59% between 2007 and 2017.
Pew also found seven-in-ten U.S. teens say anxiety and depression are major concerns among their community peers. This survey was conducted among students ages 13-17 in the fall of 2018, prior to the pandemic.
Mental health is a challenge for many, but with telemedicine and other resources, help is available. Pew research also found that, though girls experience depression more often, they also seek help at a faster rate than boys.
If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you can find resources here.
Discussion Questions:
What would you say your peers are most stressed about?
What do you think people tend to do to feel better?
Summing It Up
These are just three trends of many to describe the differences between Gen Z and past generations. Every generation sees the world differently and can learn something from others who come before and after them!