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 A to Gen Z. In this biweekly letter, 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 their dollars.
Last week, Morning Consult put out our latest report on Gen Z, which aimed to answer a simple, yet big, question: How is Gen Z doing, really? By probing deep on some of the dominant forces shaping their lives today — including friendships, fitness and finances — we found that there’s a huge sense of agita permeating the cohort. While conventional wisdom says they should be entering the next phase of their lives, the reality is that many feel stuck in all sorts of contexts — from community-building and financial independence to physical and mental health.
👥💔 Lots of friends, but still lonely👥💔
Despite a clear majority saying they have “more than enough” or “just enough” close friends, Gen Zers are much lonelier than the average U.S. adult. Roughly one-third of all key demographics within the cohort report feeling lonely “all” or “most of” the time.
Gen Zers (53%) are also nine percentage points more likely than the general population (44%) to categorize making meaningful connections as “very” or “somewhat” difficult. When asked why they hold this view, approximately half (51%) attributed their feelings to poor self-image.
Interestingly, levels of loneliness reported by Gen Z men and Gen Z women are nearly equal, which runs counter to the popular narrative that young men are facing a unique relationship crisis. That said, there is a clear gender gap on another front: How Gen Zers feel day-to-day.
▶️ Download the full Gen Z report here.
😰📉 The emotional Gen Z gender gap 😰📉
In contrast to Gen Z men, Gen Z women are much more likely to report feeling anxious on an average day. They’re notably less content with their physical appearance, too: Only 22% of Gen Z women said they’re happy with how they look, compared with the 35% of Gen Z men.
Our research also found that, relative to their male counterparts, social media interactions are especially big drivers of Gen Z women’s moods. 62% of Gen Z women say positive engagement improves their mood (versus 50% of men), and 44% say negative engagement worsens their mood (versus 27% of men).
▶️ To learn more about the data that powers this research, reach out to your Morning Consult contact or email [email protected].
📣🥳Fandom offers a bright spot 📣🥳
Fortunately, the current Gen Z isn’t all doom and gloom. Sizable portions of the cohort consider themselves “die -hard” fans of something, which offers young people a way to connect with others over shared interests both online and in real life.
For the below categories (and more, which you can see in the full report), we gave Gen Zers a blank space to tell us what specific fandoms they consider themselves part of. And while many cross-generationally beloved stars and series — like Taylor Swift, Lebron James and Harry Potter — made the top three lists, so too did many people and properties that speak to Gen Z’s specific tastes and worldviews.
The young cohort’s love for horror is made clear with terror-tinged properties appearing across several categories, including “Scream,” “Stranger Things” and the “Crime Junkies” podcast. Meanwhile, their outsized interest in nostalgia is on display via dated titles like “Percy Jackson” and “Hunger Games.” The top influencers — Kai Cenat, CoryxKenshin and Markiplier — all produce gaming-related content, another one of Gen Z’s favorite pastimes.
▶️ To check out more Gen Z trends, head here.
What Else We’re Reading
- Blended Travel: What Brands Need to Know (Morning Consult)
- Who Is the Low-Cost E-Commerce Shopper? (Morning Consult)
Instagram May Launch Reels as Separate App, Increasing Pressure on TikTok (The Information) - We asked young people what would actually make them happy (Dazed)
- The Wellness Club is Gen Z’s Country Club (Vogue)
Upcoming
Mar. 10 — Analysis: The State of Sports Betting. This memo will cover the gamut of the sports gambling world: who’s doing it, how often and why. Plus, how Americans’ feel about the behavior in general, and how they feel about brands partnering with sportsbooks. Once published, the analysis will live on our Sports page.
Mar. 12 — Analysis: Millennials Are Spread Thin as the Newest Members of the “Sandwich Generation.” Millennials are moving into a life stage that requires providing or contributing to care for both young children as well as aging parents, but they haven’t changed their consumer behaviors just yet. You can find it here on March 12.
Mar. 12 — Report: Gen Alpha’s Influence. My latest report, penned alongside retail analyst Claire Tassin, offers an in-depth look at how today’s kids’ exposure to technology, media and money is influencing their family’s shopping habits. Check out our full archive of Gen Alpha research 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].