Sign up for our newsletter: “From A to Gen Z.” This biweekly email will put the biggest headlines about Gen Alpha, Gen Z and millennials into context to help readers better understand these key generations.
Welcome to Morning Consult’s From A to Gen Z newsletter. We put the headlines you’re reading about Gen Alpha, Gen Z and millennials into context with our high-frequency survey data to help you better understand exactly how and why they’re spending their time and dollars.
Today, we’re taking a look at where young people want to work and how they want to play (in a sports and physical activities sense) in 2025.
🧑💻🫡 Tech on top 🧑💻🫡
The oldest Gen Zers are approaching 30 (😱), meaning a large swath of the cohort is now firmly setting into young adulthood. And with this maturation comes growth in their impression of brands not only as consumers, but as prospective employees.
Case in point: The share of Gen Z adults who responded “yes” to Morning Consult’s daily tracking question that asks respondents,“Thinking about your current or most recent job, would you be proud to have a similar job at [brand]?,” has gained ground since 2022 (+11 percentage points) and is now similar to that of the general population.
That said, Gen Zers still have clear employer preferences. For instance, they are notably more likely to say they would be proud to work for technology and retail companies than companies within any other tested industry.
Still, Gen Zers’ affinity for these sectors as workplaces is undoubtedly related to, at least in part, their affinity for them as consumers. Previous Morning Consult research has found time and time again that Gen Z adults are high-volume shoppers of things like apparel and shoes, and that they enjoy trying new brands more than any other generation. Plus, technology companies are consistently among the most generally well-liked and trusted by Gen Z.
▶️ Explore more of our future of work research.
😍💼 Gen Z’s most aspirational employers😍💼
Zoomers’ technology obsession is further reflected by the top 10 brands with standout net employer admiration scores among the generation, nine of which operate in the tech space. (Net admiration is the share of respondents who would be proud to have a job similar to their current role at a company, minus those who would not.)
These brands aren’t necessarily the highest scoring for Gen Z; rather, they have the largest difference between the young cohort and the general population.
TikTok tops the list by a wide margin, yet another data point suggesting that the video platform is among the most uniquely-beloved-by-young-people brands of all time (or at least in Morning Consult’s tracking history).
▶️ Our full archive of research and analysis on Gen Z’s interests and habits can be found here.
➡️🥇 Gen Z is leading America’s sport renaissance ➡️🥇
Gen Zers may be growing up and moving deeper into their careers, but they’re still making lots of time to play — literally. The share of Gen Z adults who said they play sports or exercise at least once weekly has increased 18 percentage points between 2021 and 2025. And while most key demographic groups saw gains over the period — further evidence that Americans are still very much on a sports kick — Gen Zers’ jump was the largest.
These movements are inextricably linked to another cultural shift that Morning Consult has been tracking as of late, which is that Americans — especially the youngest among us — are increasingly orienting their leisure time choices around physical and mental health goals.
▶️ Check out our full archive of sports and wellness research here.
What Else We’re Reading
- Three Key Differences Between Parents Across the Political Divide (Morning Consult)
- Ulta Beauty Invites Tweens And Teens To Celebrate Birthdays In Its Stores With New Party Program (Beauty Independent)
- Gen Z Relies on TV and Movies to Teach Them About Sex (Cosmopolitan)
Upcoming
September 22 — Direct-to-Consumer Brands Have a Gen Z Problem. My colleague Lindsey Roeschke’s latest piece looks into a troubling trend for DTC brands: Gen Zers have a notably less favorable opinion of this category than other generations.
September 23 — When It Comes to Romance, the Wealthiest Americans Are Happiest. This analysis explores how money is looming larger than ever before over nearly all aspects of American life, including romantic relationships. You can check it out on the MC Pro homepage when it goes live.
Ellyn Briggs is a brands analyst on the Industry Intelligence team, where she conducts research, authors analyst notes and advises brand and marketing leaders on how to apply insights to make better business decisions. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Ellyn worked as a market researcher and brand strategist in both agency and in-house settings. She graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in finance. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].