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.
In today’s newsletter, I’m including an exclusive preview of Gen Z data that can be found in my latest report, which will be published tomorrow. It’s titled “The Evolving American Social Life,” and it looks at how leisure time looks a lot different today than it has in the past. You can find the report here once it goes live.
Despite being dubbed the “homebody generation,” our research found that Gen Zers actually participate in social activities with relative parity to the general population. They’re also generally happy with the quality of their existing friendships. However, there is one area where Gen Zers struggle much more than the average U.S. adult: meeting new people.
🤝😩 Not “meeting” expectations 🤝😩
Just 8% of Gen Z adults said they “often” meet or interact with new people when they’re out and about, the lowest share of all key demographics. That said, they’re also the group that expresses the strongest desire to meet new people more frequently (31%).
Previous Morning Consult research identified poor self-image as a major reason that Gen Zers struggle to make meaningful connections. Significant portions also said they find it difficult to “let others get close to them” (45%) and difficult to “find people who share their values and interests” (40%).
This prevailing mood explains why connection-centric media genres like “romantasy” novels and rom-coms have been revived thanks to Gen Z in recent years. It’s also a driving force behind several other burgeoning trends, including a wave of community-building startups and the rise of a new kind of in-real-life influencer: local hosts, or people who organize hyper-curated events in their areas, from running and book clubs to social sauna groups and mindfulness meet-ups.
While still niche, these happenings make clear that the opportunity to experience new relationships will immediately pique Gen Z's interest.
💪🧠 Gen Z’s social life is uniquely dictated by physical and mental health 💪🧠
That said, another cultural force is currently coursing among young consumers: it’s a fixation with wellness and personal development — and, in many ways, it’s directly at odds with their desire for connection.
Roughly 1 in 4 (24%) Gen Z adults identified their mental wellness as the most important input when considering a night out, eight percentage points higher than the share of all U.S. adults who said the same.
In a separate question, Gen Zers were among the least interested in nightlife activities, such as drinking and clubbing, and among the most interested in wellness-focused pursuits, like workout classes and hiking.
Past Morning Consult research also found that Gen Zers are big on health experimentation, with notable shares having done everything from changing their diets to undergoing aesthetic procedures and taking weight-loss drugs.
These individualistic priorities and behaviors are informed, at least in part, by self-help content popularized on social media, which tends to encourage strict boundary-setting and intense daily routines. And given that Gen Zers grew up on such a steady stream of this type of content, it’s unlikely they’ll ever fully shake their always-be-optimizing mindset, even well into adulthood.
Brands that message around personal maintenance and development will resonate with this cohort, but an even bigger reward awaits those that can address Gen Z’s pursuit of wellness and their insecurities around community building via a singular offering.
▶️ Our full archive of research and analysis on Gen Z can be found here.
What Else We’re Reading
- AI Is Wrecking an Already Fragile Job Market for College Graduates (The Wall Street Journal)
- Ugg Is Winning Over Guys With Sporty Clogs and Post Malone (Bloomberg)
- Amid Burgeoning Event Tourism, A Look at Consumers' Travel Priorities (Morning Consult)
Upcoming
August 6 — The Evolving American Social Life. Our latest report details what brands need to know about how Americans are spending their leisure time, who they’re spending it with and why. You can check it out on the MC Pro homepage when it goes live.
August 11 — The Most and Least Enjoyable Social Platforms. This analysis explores how consumers feel about the user experience of the major social platforms — and the internet more broadly — in 2025. Once it’s published, you’ll be able to find it here.
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].