research paper on gen z

REVIEW article

Generation z within the workforce and in the workplace: a bibliometric analysis.

• 1 Department of Applied Economics (Statistics and Econometrics), Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
• 2 Department of Business Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain
• 3 Department of Business Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management, University of Malaga, Málaga, Spain

This article aims to improve the knowledge on Generation Z as employees within workforce and in the workplace, as well as on the main thematic trends that drive the research on the topic. To this end, and using bibliometric techniques, a sample of 102 publications on this subject from Web of Science between 2009 and 2020 is analyzed. Research discusses the most published and most cited authors and journals to have a broad view of the context of the subject. Later, through a longitudinal view, the study mainly focuses on analyzing the evolution of thematic clusters, to assess the progress of the themes, as well as the network around the principal motor cluster of each period. The obtained results suggest a hardly developed topic, which started to draw attention in 2018, while still having a wide margin for growth. The core of research on the topic has evolved around “Generation-Z” “generations,” “workplace,” “management” and “attitudes,” “leadership,” “career,” or “learning-teaching-education,” although a low keyword stability among periods was noted. There is a need for further development on a variety of aspects regarding this generation and the labor market, as the study shows a clear orientation toward management and generational diversity within the workplace.

Introduction

A number of recent studies examine the characteristics of Generation Z (Gen Z) individuals (Gen Zers), their values ( Maloni et al., 2019 ; Cresnar and Nedelko, 2020 ), their attitudes toward work and organizations ( Barhate and Dirani, 2021 ), the way they adapt to the workplace ( Chillakuri, 2020 ), and even distinguishing intragenerational variants within this cohort ( Scholz, 2019 ; Leslie et al., 2021 ), as well as its similarities and differences with other generations ( Hernaus and Poloski Vokic, 2014 ; Klopotan et al., 2020 ; Mahmoud et al., 2021 ), but mostly with Generation Y ( Raslie and Ting, 2021 ). Given the need to adapt in the workplace not only for the latest generation, but for the cohesion and cooperation between generations, this adds extra difficulty to the human resources management (HRM), and to an efficient workflow and environment in the workplace.

The purpose of this article is to disclose the thematic research trends on the aforementioned topic, through a review of the existing literature on Gen Z as employees within the workforce and in the workplace. This article delivers a pioneering topic to which no research has specifically focused before. The contribution of this research will allow a further understanding and an increased knowledge on how Gen Z is related to the workforce and in the workplace. In addition, the study will create supporting material for future research, as well as helping the HRM to better address the needs of Gen Zers and bring higher value to the organization. Thus, a bibliometric assessment has been elaborated to highlight the number of publications, the most notorious authors, and the most impactful journals. Additionally, quantitative research was elaborated, a longitudinal analysis was developed, as well as a visualization of the data on the most relevant themes of research is disclosed for the different periods considered.

The contextualization of the study is described consequently, including the characteristics of Gen Z and their general expectations of jobs and employers, and the current trends and adaptation practices of HRM and organizations. The third part will be focused on the methods used for the bibliometric analysis, including the search strategy, sample, and software. Thereafter, the results of the analysis are stated on the activity related to the topic, the evolution of the keywords, a thematic longitudinal analysis, and eventually, a period-by-period strategic map analysis. It will discuss the implications, future research suggestions, and limitations of the paper, and finally, conclusions will be described.

Contextualization of the Study

Generation z.

Generation Z is the generation born from mid-1990s to early 2010s, where the exact dates vary depending on the chosen author, but most commonly is the 1995–2010. Gen Z is known to be the first true “digital native” generation ( Lanier, 2017 ), as they have been born and have been grown in a digital and technological environment, learning how to use technology, and interacting in social networks since the very young age, and even tend to be seen as addicted to technology. The members of this generation have also been called “Gen Zers,” “post-Millennials,” or “iGen” ( Magano et al., 2020 ).

As its main characteristics, Gen Zers are defined as highly ambitious and self-confident ( Pataki-Bittó and Kapusy, 2021 ). At the same time, they are said to be realistic and accept whatever is given ( Scholz, 2019 ). Gen Z is entrepreneurial ( Magano et al., 2020 ), even more than Generation Y ( Lanier, 2017 ). This generation seems to be motivated by finding their dream job and opportunities to expand their skills ( Magano et al., 2020 ), leading to believe they will switch jobs more frequently than other generations before them, and if they do not like something, they are ready to change immediately ( Csiszárik-Kocsír and Garia-Fodor, 2018 ). Other motivation drivers for this cohort are roots on advancement opportunities, increased salary, a meaningful work, and a good team ( PR Newswire, 2014 ; Csiszárik-Kocsír and Garia-Fodor, 2018 ).

When looking at how Gen Z is said to think and act, it is highlighted that they are not only more aware and informed about what is going on in the world than previous generations, but they have shown to be financially conscious ( Sladek and Grabinger, 2014 ). Moreover, their consumption is more ethical, and they have “greater freedom of expression and greater openness to understanding different kinds of people” ( Francis and Hoefel, 2018 , p. 2), having shown to be oriented to others ( Magano et al., 2020 ). This broad view of life gives Gen Z a unique perspective on understanding others, while trying to stay true to themselves, their values, and their goals.

While there is a prototype of this generation with mostly common characteristics and attitudes, among approximately 15 different age groups, it is evident that “one size does not fit all.” Moreover, the earliest works on Gen Z had been conducted almost only in the United States, leading to a biased perception of this generation ( Scholz, 2019 ). There exist supporting studies on intragenerational differences. These revealed how the visions, preferences, and features of Gen Zers vary by regions ( Scholz, 2019 ), or even by their workplace perceptions ( Leslie et al., 2021 ), depending on external situational factors such as events, crises, technology, or trends of their youth.

This generation cohort has been surrounded by a global financial crisis, times of terrorism, political uncertainty, and an almost irreversible climate crisis. At the same time, Gen Z has lived in an increasingly globalized world, with the ease of a same currency around the EU and free mobility through its member states in the case of Europe. All these factors have influenced how Gen Z has forged their personality, their vision, and has made them highly adaptable to the global world ( Magano et al., 2020 ).

It must be taken into account that part of Gen Z is already working, some are currently entering the workforce—more than what is expected because of the pandemic—and others are still on formation. Mainly, Gen Zers have started entering the labor market in the last years. Their introduction to the workforce has been challenging, being disturbed by a pandemic, its economic downturn, and its social and labor implications. There are only a couple of studies that address the impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Gen Z in the labor market ( Sakdiyakorn et al., 2021 ), but the number of articles relating the pandemic and Gen Z is expected to increase when the real effects are known after the return of most of the employees to the workplace and once the pandemic has ended. These downturns have not prevented the cohort of having high expectations about their work ( Snieska et al., 2020 ), as well as having a well-defined career development plans ( Barhate and Dirani, 2021 ).

According to a Deloitte report ( O’Boyle et al., 2017 , p. 10), Gen Z, with eyes on the workplace, is expected to introduce high technology skills, while some researchers are not completely sure about their interpersonal communication and relationship skills. These researchers also found out that the majority of “Gen Z professionals prefer a multidisciplinary and global focus to their work.” Additionally, it is said that Gen Zers are affected by the belief that companies usually use and care about employees only when they are needed ( Scholz, 2019 ).

Generation Z is said to change jobs more frequently; thus, HR does not only have to worry about how to attract the new generation, but how to focus their efforts on giving Gen Zers what they need to stay in the company. Considering the scant research done in terms of what attracts Gen Zers toward companies, it is said that Gen Z is enticed by the work flexibility and a balance with their life outside the workplace. They seek direct contribution to the company, they desire to have an impact on the outcomes, they are driven by an entrepreneurial mindset, and an already established and known company is a plus ( Randstad Canada, 2014 ).

Furthermore, in terms of employee retention, there are some common aspects to this generation ( PR Newswire, 2014 ; Randstad Canada, 2014 ): they value honesty over anything else in their leaders, they prefer face-to-face communication with their superiors, they enjoy open dialog, as well as they have a strong desire to be listened to their ideas and to be valued for their opinions by their managers, and additionally, they expect social responsibility. Now the question is, are companies delivering these qualities to their employees? If not, why is it taking so long to adapt to the newest generation? Are firms considering organizational change to address the desires of the Gen Z?

Generation Z Within the Workforce and the Workplace

Throughout the years, the workforce has been evolving, and has been affected by multiple events, such as the Great Recession and more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the workplace has developed new dynamics, from separated spaces according to the department, to current open spaces where different departments share resources and knowledge in a faster and more efficient way, or even the co-working spaces shared with other companies or independent professionals. The driving force that selects the employees of a firm and manages most workplace initiatives, procedures, and even the culture of the firm is the HRM. This specific part of the firm creates the essence of the company, attracts new talent for the firm, implements training, and intends to assure the most effective and efficient working environment to achieve the goals of the organization, among other functions.

To address the current situation on HR practices, Table 1 showcases Forbes’ annual Top 10 HR trends for 2020 ( Meister, 2020 ). In the year 2020, most trends move toward a better working environment, work-life balance, and skills. More and more firms are comprising resources to take care and to motivate their internal clients, their employees.

Table 1. Top HR talent attraction and retention trends 2020.

As the new generation enters the labor market, HRM needs to take into consideration, and adapt to the previously mentioned characteristics of this cohort. This does not only mean attracting the Gen Z employees in a different way and offer them a variety of work-related benefits to draw them to and keep them in the organization, but also to redefine entry-level jobs ( O’Boyle et al., 2017 ). There are only few research papers on how the labor market adapts to the needs and expectations of the Gen Z cohort, existing the need of further research. This may be because the majority of Gen Z individuals have been studying until lately and is only now starting to enter into the labor market.

Some articles studied the relationship between of employees, and companies or positions. The first one would be a person-organization fit model, so that the characteristics of the companies are congruent with the needs and wants of their employees ( Graczyk-Kucharska and Erickson, 2020 ). The second would be an employee-job fit, with the aim of attaining a job satisfaction, as well as the work engagement and performance ( Truxillo et al., 2012 ).

According to Bielen and Kubiczek (2020) , the most common way the businesses respond to the demands of Gen Zers are friendly working atmosphere, keeping up with the latest technologies, ambassador programs, internships, benefits, and corporate social responsibility activities. Similar ideas are reported by Randstad Canada (2014). However, to be able to do so, organizations need to have the courage to break traditional approaches by using the existing tools in different ways, accepting that even individuals from the same generation and their needs may differ from their cohort prototype ( O’Boyle et al., 2017 ), like what many firms have done with the on-line recruitment as their initial step ( Tato-Jimenez et al., 2019 ). Additionally, HR departments should be preparing to introduce or to change workplace values and culture among other aspects ( Graczyk-Kucharska and Erickson, 2020 ), rather than expecting Gen Z to adapt to the company.

Now that Gen Zers enter into the workforce, some organizations will have four or even five different generations working together. As Urick (2019 , p. 78) states, generational differences in the workplace can lead to “intergenerational biases, stereotypes, and misperceptions,” and create conflict situations. This said, it is safe to assure that different generational cohorts with their own work preferences should have distinguishing job characteristics ( Hernaus and Poloski Vokic, 2014 ). As previously done with Generation Y, companies need to modify their dynamics in order to manage the intergenerational diversity faced. To tackle these challenges, HRM has to explore new ways of satisfying the newcomers at the same time as trying not to neglect the employees of older generations, and learning how to manage multigenerational teams.

This article pretends to bring to light the research trends involving Gen Z, the workplace, and the professional relations of this generation. For this purpose, a bibliometric review has been elaborated by collecting data from the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WoS), which has later been analyzed using the SciMAT open-source science mapping software tool.

Search Strategy

The documents collected for this review have been retrieved from the WoS database as of October 14, 2021. When conducting the search for the three variants of Gen Z keywords, as well as “workplace,” “workforce,” and “employee” were used within the topic field, creating the advanced search algorithm in WoS: TS = (“Generation Z” OR “Gen Z” OR “Z Generation”) AND TS = (“workforce*” OR “workplace*” OR “employee*”).

To obtain the widest range of results due to the early stages of research on Gen Z, all the years (1900–2020) and the languages were accounted for, and the document type was not limited, thus, including reviews and conference proceeding papers among others. Additionally, the citation indexes selected were as follows: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI), Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (CPCI-S), Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (CPCI-SSH), Book Citation Index– Science (BKCI-S), Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities (BKCI-SSH), and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).

The search completed on WoS obtained a total of 102 results. The analysis covers a 12-year time period from 2009 to 2020, and even if the WoS search was conducted from 1900, Gen Z is a much more recent term. Hence, to develop a longitudinal analysis, the literature has been divided into three periods. The expanse of these periods and their segmentation has been defined following a quantitative criterion of the number of the documents published, trying to find the most homogeneous stages possible ( Table 2 ).

Table 2. Periods and documents per period.

The first stage covers documents from 2009 to 2017, the second corresponds with 2018, the third refers to 2019, and the last and fourth is 2020. Thus, considering the scant research until 2017 included, the first period has less manuscripts than the latter three, including only 19 publications in WoS from 2009 to 2017, from which five correspond to the last year of the stage. On the other hand, the 2018 period englobes a total of 22 papers, the third period, 2019, includes 32 articles, and, finally, 2020 addresses 29 registered documents in the database.

To be able to elaborate and to detangle the bibliometric analysis, SciMAT, an open-source science mapping software tool has been utilized. The reasons behind the decision to use this tool lie in the benefits it supplies the researcher. The SciMAT, created by Cobo et al. (2012) , offers methods, measures, and algorithms for the whole general science mapping workflow, for which researchers usually need to apply various software tools. On this note, the SciMAT software allows the pre-processing of the data retrieved from WoS, Scopus, PubMed, or similar, for a posterior network extraction, the application of different normalization measures, mapping, and analysis, and the graphical visualization of the results ( Cobo et al., 2012 ). The wizard analysis of the software allows to see a longitudinal map, which is one of the principal objectives of this article, as well as strategic maps and thematic networks.

Within the longitudinal view, the evolution map ( Figure 1A , left) shows on columns the different periods of the sample, showing the most relevant in clusters. These clusters are connected throughout the periods by lines, which represent the timely evolution of the themes. If two clusters are linked by a continuous line, these share the main item; but, if between two clusters, there is a discontinuous link meaning that they share elements but not the main item. Some may not be connected by lines, and in that case and if not appearing in the next period, the cluster has disappeared; if it suddenly appeared in a later period, the cluster is considered a new one. The size of each cluster depends on the selected performance measures. In the case of our study, we are considering the number of documents, the number of citations and the average citations, as well as the h-index, all with respect to the period and cluster chosen.

Figure 1. Evolution view and period view. Source: Cobo et al. (2012) .

Additionally, an overlapping map ( Figure 1B , right) represents the periods, and the number of keywords, in our case, each period is associated to. The upper outgoing arrow represents the keywords that have disappeared from one period to the next one, and the upper incoming arrows indicate the keywords added to the new period. The arrows connecting the periods offer the number of keywords shared among them, including the Stability Index between them.

The period view allows the user to decide which period is shown in the strategic diagram, and to choose the theme displayed in the cluster’s network. The SciMAT software wizard provides by defect the Callon’s density ( Callon et al., 1991 ) and centrality measures. A strategic map ( Figure 1C , left) showcases the most important themes of a given period, distributes in the figure according to their density and centrality ranges. This two-dimensional map divides the clusters into the following: motor clusters, being the ones with highest density and centrality; highly developed and isolated clusters or peripheral themes, with high density but low centrality; basic and transversal clusters when they have a high centrality but a low density; and emerging or declining clusters with both low density and centrality. For each cluster represented in the strategic map, a cluster network ( Figure 1D , right) is provided with the related themes.

The WoS sample was composed by 102 documents published between 2009 and 2020 ( Figure 2 ). It can be noticed that there are two distinct trends according to the rate of annual publications. In the time frame from 2009 to 2017, there is little research on Gen Z per se , and even less on their preparation, perceptions, and implications on the labor market, possibly because Gen Zers were mostly 22 years old and only a minority was working, while most of them were studying and other were just being born in 2009 and 2010. A second trend can be appreciated since 2018, from which Gen Z has been gaining relevance in research, as not only this generation starts working, but begins to have a perfect age for investigators to get an insight about their characteristics, preferences, values, and attitudes.

Figure 2. Number of publication per year. Source: Own elaboration from SciMAT data.

The 102 documents forming the analysis sample were written by a total of 234 published authors. From these authors, only Goh stands out from the rest, having written four articles. The low number of works on the topic is accompanied by the scarce research on Gen Z and the workforce, as well as the workplace of each author.

The most cited article is the work of Goh. It focuses on the hospitality sector and on Gen Z based on the theory of the planned behavior ( Goh and Kong, 2018 ; Goh and Lee, 2018 ). Besides, the Gen Z motivations of the employees in the hospitality industry toward the food waste ( Goh and Jie, 2019 ), the talent management and the recruitment strategies ( Goh and Okumus, 2020 ) are the next more cited articles. The rest of authors have been involved in 1 or 2 papers each, suggesting that this topic is not their main line of research. We can also highlight the citations received in WoS by each analyzed author. Displayed in Table 3 are the authors with more than 20 citations.

Table 3. Authors with more than 20 citations ordered by authors.

It can be seen how Goh has paved the way again with 92 citations from his three articles, each with the collaboration of one other author: Lee, Okumus, and Kong, were all included in Table 3 . Within the publications of Goh, A workforce to be reckoned with: The emerging pivotal Generation Z hospitality workforce ( Goh and Lee, 2018 ) is worth mentioning, as the article has received a significant number of citations within WoS, making Lee the second most cited author. Additionally, Bejtkovsky (2013 , 2016) has contributed on two documents, dated in 2013 and 2016. However, 17 received citations corresponds only to one of his articles, The Employees of Baby Boomers Generation, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z in Selected Czech Corporations as Conceivers of Development and Competitiveness in their Corporation ( Bejtkovsky, 2016 ), which was dedicated to multiple generations within the workplace, generation gaps, and human resources.

The rest of the authors on the list have only one paper each, but as observed, have higher citations (more than 20 citations) than most top writers on our sample Table 3 . Both Ozkan and Solmaz (2015) have received the third best citation number on their participation in the 4th World Conference On Business, Economics, And Management with The Changing Face of the Employees— Generation Z and Their Perceptions of Work (A Study Applied to University Students) . Apart from the abovementioned authors, Schroth wrote about the readiness of the workplace to receive Gen Z ( Schroth, 2019 ), while both Lazanyi and Bilan (2017) collaborated to create an article on the trust of Gen Zers toward others within the workplace.

Additionally, the whole 102 document sample is associated with 91 journals. Table 4 shows the most influential journals according to the 2020 journal impact factor (JIF) provided in WoS, the corresponding quartile on the Journal Citation Report (JCR), the number of documents published on the topic, and the number of citations. Table 4 only includes those journals with more than 20 citations. The JIF is the ratio obtained by dividing the number of citations of a journal on the previous two years by the number of articles published by the journal over the same time period. In the case of this study, the 2019 JIF has been used, being the number of citations of the specific journal in 2018 and 2017 divided by the total of the published documents in it.

Table 4. Journals with most impact.

Concerning the WoS categories, the three most frequent category is Management ; followed by Hospitality and Tourism, Business , and Economics . During the analyzed period (2009–2020) there are 15 different management journals, five hospitality and tourism journals, and four business and economics. The journals with major impact—considering the articles with more than 20 citations—are the International Journal of Hospitality Management , the California Management Review , the Journal of Competitiveness , and the Tourism and Management Perspectives . Only the former journal is in the first quartile and has a JIF that is remarkably higher than the rest.

However, in general terms, the highest number of articles concerning this theme (5) have been published by the journal Sustainability in the years 2018 (JIF 2.592), 2019 (JIF 2.576), and 2020 (JIF 3.251). This was followed by the Journal of Competitiveness in the year 2016 (JIF 3.649), and International Journal of Hospitality Management (2) in the years 2018 (4.465) and 2019 (JIF 6.701).

Evolution of Keywords

Now, the evolution of the keywords along the different periods will be addressed ( Figure 3 ). The first period (2009–2017), although aggregating an eight-year time period, is characterized by a lower number of keywords than the rest of periods, which actually have a very similar amount. In the first period, there were 33 keywords, from which, nine were no longer used in the following ones. More than half of the words used (0.5) in this period were also transferred to the second one. For the second period, 15 additional words were introduced, summing up to 39 total keywords. Again, eight keywords disappeared and 31 transitioned to the next period, representing almost three fourths (0.61) of the total word count in 2019, being higher than the common keyword proportion of the change from period 1 to period 2. In the third period, 12 keywords were included in the topic research, adding up to 43 total keywords. Then, 32 keywords were included in the last period and 11 keywords were lost and will not be used in the following period. In the last period 13 words were included in the research of the topic, totaling of 45 keywords. The difference between the number of keywords between the first and the last periods is relatively low but can be justified by the scarce research on the topic. These results suggest that there is a wide development margin in the literature relating to Gen Z within the workforce and the workplace.

Figure 3. Keywords between periods. Source: Own elaboration with SciMAT.

Longitudinal Analysis

By means of the longitudinal diagram ( Figure 4 ) provided by SciMAT, the current evolution of the research related to the topic of this article will be analyzed. Some clusters have been maintained during two periods or have disappeared and then reappeared in a later period. It should be reminded, that each cluster was selected to have a maximum of 10 items and a minimum of 2.

Figure 4. Theme evolution of primary documents. Source: Elaborated with SciMAT.

With eyes on the first period, from 2009 to 2017, it can be seen how there are only four clusters: “Generation-Z,” “management,” “attitudes,” and “leadership.” The reason for the scarce number of clusters in this period is due to two facts: the keywords of the sample are focused on those concrete clusters—there is a larger number of keywords, but were not grouped in clusters due to the minimum requisite of two items and there is a small number of publications. For our study, clustering through an algorithm of the simple center with a minimum network size of 2 is important, because otherwise there would be an excessively large number of clusters. This is due to the high number of keywords of different thematic, as the research on this area was not developed enough during this period.

For the second period, year 2018, there are six clusters: “Generation-Z,” “Generation-Y,” “career,” “consumers,” “teams,” and “organizational.” The “Generation-Z” cluster is the only one maintained from the 2009–2017 period, gaining relevance within the research made during 2018 because it is placed in a better location in the strategic diagram, with higher centrality and density values, being the motor theme of this period. This was materialized in articles such as “ A workforce to be reckoned with: The emerging pivotal Generation Z hospitality workforce ” ( Goh and Lee, 2018 ), or “ Generation Z’s Sustainable Volunteering: Motivations, Attitudes and Job Performance ” ( Cho et al., 2018 ). The “Generation-Y” cluster has a linkage with the previous “management” and “leadership” clusters. Additionally, the leadership cluster (2018) has also a strong and direct relationship with the cluster “teams” from the first period. The “career” cluster is the most relevant by grouping documents based on the number of citations. However, since the density and the centrality of the career do not have a defined role in this theme yet, its evolution in the following periods remains uncertain.

In the 2019 period all the clusters are new. Outstanding for the number of citations are “outcomes,” followed by “Theory of planned behavior,” which is connected to the previous period through “career.” Likewise, “generations” is directly related to the “Generation-Z” cluster. An example of how the intergenerational view gains strength is the article Critical elements for multigenerational teams: a systematic review ( Burton et al., 2019 ). Other clusters in this period are “learning-teaching-education” and “personality” which has a linkage with the second period cluster “career.”

In the 2020 period, various clusters from the previous period are consolidated. The case of “generations,” “learning-peaching-education” or “outcomes” have a very strong linkage with the same clusters of the previous period. “Organizational change” is the weakest cluster. While “workplace” appears strongly as it is placed as the driving theme of the last period and has a direct linkage with the most important clusters of the rest of the periods. The article entitled Understanding Future Leaders: How Are Personal Values of Generations Y and Z Tailored to Leadership in Industry 4.0? ( Cresnar and Nedelko, 2020 ) is an example.

Following the analysis of the longitudinal diagram and considering the aforementioned remarks on the evolution of the words, a quantitative comparison has been elaborated from the data provided by SciMAT. Table 5 shows the clusters of each period of the sample, the centrality and density of each, as well as the number of documents, the number of citations, and the average citations within the theme, ending with the h-index provided by SciMAT. Within the first period (2009–2017), the cluster “Generation-Z” needs to be highlighted due to its high impact in terms of number of citations (171 citations), as well as the documents published (13 documents). Accordingly, “attitudes” stands out as the cluster with the highest average number of citations (15 citations) achieved with a single document. Also, “management” is one of the clusters with less centrality than “Generation-Z” but has a higher density, and, therefore, has a prominent position among the driving themes of this period ( Table 5 ).

Table 5. Quantitative factors of the themes and their evolution.

When considering the second period (2018), “career” is the highlighted cluster of the year. Similarly, to “Generation-Z” in the first period, this cluster manages to draw the attention for the highest number of citations (105 citations), being the higher on average citations (26.25 cites). The second with most cited in this period is “Generation-Z” with 73 citations. Also, “Generation-y” has 23 citations and an average citation of 3.29 per article. The cluster “teams” with only one published article involves a relevant impact as it reaches 14 citations in comparison with clusters of “innovations” and “consumers” with two and cero citations, respectively.

The third period (2019) concentrates the clusters of current trends. Nowadays, the most researched themes are, in descending order of citations: “outcomes” with 43 citations, “theory of planned behavior” with 38 citations, “generations” with 33 citations, “learning-teaching-education” with 15 citations, and “personality” cluster has no citation.

The fourth and last period (2020) is a continuation of the previous period in terms of clusters highlighted by number of citations. “Generations” and “learning-teaching-education” stood out by the cited papers, with 38 and 22 citations, respectively, followed by “workplace” with eight citations. Although this last cluster has a lower number of citations, it should be noted that only four articles have been cited, so the average number of citations is very close to the first two clusters.

From a general perspective, there are some observations to consider. (a) The clusters created in the first period (“Generation-Z,” “management,” “attitudes,” and “leadership”) have served as a base for the research of the forthcoming years, have been a major impact, particularly “Generation-Z” as they have transitioned to another period. (b) The number of total documents of the clusters seem to increase with time. (c) Notably, the clusters with most impact during the whole timeframe of the analysis, which are from higher to lower number of citations, are as follows: “Generation-Z” (171 citations), “career” (105 citations), “outcomes” (43 citations), and “generations” (38 citations).

Period-by-Period Strategy Map Analysis

Once the longitudinal map has been explained, and the evolution of the clusters is known, the paper will proceed analyzing the importance of each cluster in terms of Callon’s density and centrality measures through a strategic map, which values are represented and already mentioned in Table 5 . Centrality measure of Callon represents the interaction among networks, whereas the density measure indicates the internal strength of the network. After the analysis of a strategic diagram of the period, the main cluster in the motor themes is addressed, meaning, the theme that has the highest combination of density and centrality is the one cluster that is in the most upper-right position in the map. The analysis of the network surrounding the motor theme of each period is then explained.

First Period 2009–2017

The strategic map ( Figure 5 ) visually shows how the clusters of the 2009–2017 period are scattered according to their density and centrality measures (previous Table 5 ). The cluster “Generation-Z” is a relevant cluster which, although has the higher number of articles, the early stages of the topic in this period makes its average citation lower than would be expected. “Generation-Z” stands with a centrality of 103.69 and a density of 52.48. On this note, “Generation-Z” is an important topic in the research, but this needs additional development. The “management” cluster is a driving theme due to its measures on centrality (55.9) and density (87.5). Thus, the “management” network has high interaction and internal strength and was at the center of the research in this period.

Figure 5. Period 2009–2017 strategic diagram (A) and the motor cluster’s network (B) . Source: Elaborated with SciMAT.

On the other hand, we have “leadership,” which is between an emergent or a decadent theme and a motor theme, with 15.85 and 50 centrality and density values, respectively. As the topic of this study is quite recent and does not amount to excessive research, a focus on the “leadership” in so early stages makes it highly interesting as the same time than the specialized theme. Changing quadrant, the cluster “attitudes” is clearly peripheral theme, with a centrality of 0 and a density of 0.25. This last cluster will disappear on the rest of periods (2018, 2019, and 2020).

Now, the thematic network of the motor theme ( Figure 5 , right) of the period will be analyzed, driving the internal analysis of the “management” cluster. In order to disclose insights on the most relevant links, the weight of the internal links is displayed in Table 6 .

Table 6. “Generation-Z” and Management cluster network 2009–2017.

The network around the main themes of the period is composed by the following internal links: (a) “experiences” is linked with “competence,” and (b) “conflict” with “personality.” To a lesser extent, latter clusters are also connected with “Generation-Y” and “Generation-X,” the “experiences” cluster with “labor market,” and the latter with “Competence.” The different models to be adopted in terms of conflict and the personality of workers are also part of the network of this main theme.

Second Period 2018

Likewise, strategic map of the 2018 period ( Figure 6 , left) visually shows how the clusters of the period are distributed according to density and centrality measures ( Table 5 ), increasing the number of clusters by one with respect to the previous period.

Figure 6. Period 2018 strategic diagram (A) and motor cluster’s network (B) . Source: Elaborated with SciMAT.

In this case, there are two motor clusters that define the thematic of the period, “Generation-Z” and “Generation-Y.” Both clusters attract publications and have high average citations. The “Generation-Z” cluster is characterized by a high interaction (145.61) and by internal strength (54.06). In the Figure 6 , it is closer to the top right corner of the strategic diagram, meaning, it is the most influential thematic in the period. The “Generation-Y” cluster is also a motor theme but to a lesser extent, with centrality of 51.85 and a density of 51.94.

There are two groups of clusters on the border of the basic topics-emergent and decadent themes and on the border of basic topics-motor themes. On the one hand, “career” is the cluster that receives the highest number of citations, but due to its density, it is on the borderline between the emerging or decadent themes and the basic themes. In turn, the “organizational” cluster, due to its centrality, is on the borderline between basic and driving themes. We will have to check their evolution to see if they will finally fall into one of the surrounding quadrants.

Within the peripheral themes, “consumers” is a new cluster. Finally, the “teams” cluster can classify as an emergent or decadent theme, not very developed, with a centrality of 11.75, and the lowest density within the sample (50).

Regarding the internal thematic analysis of the main motor theme network ( Figure 6 , right and Table 7 ), “Generation-Z” maintains the most important links as follows: “Baby-boomers” with “Generation-X”; “models” with “behavior”; and “organizational commitment” with “Entrepreneurship.” Moreover, to a lesser extent, “culture and values” with “Generation-X,” “behavior,” “models,” and “baby-boomers.”

Table 7. “Generation-Z” Cluster Network 2018.

Third Period 2019

The strategic map in Figure 7 (left) shows how the cluster of 2019 period stands according to density and centrality measures of Callon (previous Table 5 ). There are two driving themes that define the thematic of the period and attract publications, “outcomes” and “Generation-Z,” which define the current tendency of the published articles. Both are characterized by the highest internal strength of their networks, being 82.90 and 81.21, respectively. One of the main differences between these two motor themes is that “Generation-Z” has attracted far more publications (22) and citations (46 cites) than “impact” (numbers 6 and 7). The “Generation-Z” cluster appeared in the first period (2009–2017), losing importance in the second (2019) as it did not even appear in the longitudinal map, and reappearing even more strongly in the last one (2020–2021). In this new appearance of “Generation-Z”, its centrality increased at over 50% and its density at over 60%.

Figure 7. Period 2019 strategic diagram (A) and motor cluster’s network (B) . Source: elaborated with SciMAT.

The cluster “personality” enters into play as an emergent theme due to a low centrality and “learning-teaching-education” as a basic theme with a higher centrality being its internal consistency more important in comparison to “personality” ( Figure 7 , left).

Additionally, there is one peripheral theme, “theory of planned behaviour” which has evolved from the second period (2018) from the cluster’s “career” and “consumers.”

With regards to the internal thematic analysis of “generations” as the main driving theme network of the period ( Figure 7 , right), the internal links are shown in Table 8 . In this specific period, the relations with the highest density are: “workplace” with “Generation-Z”; and “baby-boomers” with “Generation-X.” To a lesser extent is observed the linkage of “Generation-Y” with “Generation-Z,” and “baby-boomers” with “Generation-X.” All clusters share links to other themes with lower weights.

Table 8. “Generations” cluster network 2019.

Fourth Period 2020

In this last period, the “workplace” cluster appears as a driving theme, leading the research in the last year 2020. If we consider the evolution of the themes in the longitudinal analysis ( Figure 8 ), the “workplace” cluster is linked to the “Generation-Z” and “generations” clusters of previous periods. In this last period, it reaches the necessary internal consistency to be the leading researching theme. On the other hand, the “generations” cluster remains as a basic theme without evolving with respect to 2019, although it receives 22 citations in 2020. The peripheral themes are “organizational change” and “outcomes,” losing its relevance from 2019, although it receives 22 citations in 2020. The peripheral themes are “organizational change” and “Outcomes” which in the previous period was a driving theme, and also, they lost their relevance in 2020. There are no emerging or declining themes for this period.

Figure 8. Period 2020 strategic diagram (A) and motor cluster’s network (B) . Source: elaborated with SciMAT.

Regarding the internal analysis of the driving theme “workplace” (the main thematic network driving the period) ( Figure 8 , right), the internal links are shown in Table 9 . The most intense relationships are: “mentor” and “factor analysis” and to a lesser extent “organizations” and “industry 4.0,” “organizations” and “leadership,” “organizations” and “Generation-Y,” and “factor analysis” and “organizational.” Finally, from a cross-period approach, it is evident that the main driving theme is “Generation-Z” but obviously the keyword filter included in the search is the main reason.

Table 9. “Workplace” cluster network 2020.

Implications

The aim of this work has been to disclose the thematic research trends and their evolution on the Gen Z as employees within the workforce and in the workplace. Additionally, the authors wanted to shed light to the themes that have not been sufficiently developed yet. The idea is that this research should not fully dive into the content, which was used for the research, but rather to see a full context on the matter. This is to serve as a support for further research. The effectiveness, as well as the relevance of the methodology, used is proven, and the data collected has been properly uncovered through a series of step, which pretended to go from the general study fields as the authors or journal, to more concrete aspects of the topic, such as the network of the most influential thematic clusters of each period.

Additionally, 13 authors stood out from the rest, having written more than one article, while 33 have received more than 20 citations. From these, one author is worth mentioning, Goh, who not only has written three articles while the rest have written two or less, but he has also received the maximum number of citations (92) for its research on the topic related with the hospitality sector, the theory of planned behavior, talent management, and recruitment strategies ( Goh and Kong, 2018 ; Goh and Lee, 2018 ; Goh and Okumus, 2020 ). The most relevant journals with respect to the JIF are the International Journal of Hospitality Management , the California Management Review , the Journal of Competitiveness , the Tourism and Management Perspectives , and the Sustainability , from which all are above 3.500 JIF index. An expected result from the journal analysis is the focus on management in the most impactful journals. Another interesting finding from the research is the orientation on hospitality and tourism, psychology, and nursing as related areas of the study joining the main topic of this research. But there is a lack of studies related with other sectors as basic, at the same time than complex, as financial sectors, or customer service other than from the hospitality and tourism industry.

Mostly from the tendency change in 2018, the number of publications on the topic have increased, but still are relatively low. The results demonstrate an increasingly meaningful line of research on Gen Z within the workforce and the workplace, since 2018. These research results are mainly from the management field, remarking the importance, and impact this generation has on companies and their dynamics. The highest number of works were published in 2019, after which a small decrease in the number of documents occurred in 2020.

The evolution of the keywords between the periods had the following effects: (a) there has only been an increase of 12 words within the whole length of the periods studied; (b) throughout this complete time frame, 28 keywords were discarded; (c) whereas 40 were included. Furthermore, the longitudinal analysis has allowed to discover that the four clusters of the first period (“generation Z,” “management,” “attitudes,” and “leadership”) have been the basis for the evolution of the theme.

The “generation Z” cluster stands out in the first and the second period. This cluster evolves into the “generations” cluster in the third period, and into the “workplace” cluster in the last period. We believe that this fact indicates the interest of considering workplace as an ecosystem in which Gen Z must interact with other previous generations. The size of the “workplace” cluster indicates that this line of research may potentially expand in the near future.

Limitations

This article is admitted being subject to certain limitations. Firstly, the sample used for the research is small and was only exclusively obtained from the Web of Science database. In this case, the study could be compared with similar bibliometric analyses on the matter involving different databases, e.g., Scopus. Secondly, the elimination of documents not directly related to the topic and the subjective clustering of words into word groups may offer slightly different results if another person replicates the review.

The special characteristics and behaviors of the newest generation to enter the labor market make the management of Gen Z within the workplace and in the workforce a real challenge. It is not only necessary to acknowledge that changes are coming, but also imperative to start adapting now if it has not started yet. When a new age cohort enters the workforce, firms and employees face a modification of the work dynamic and company culture. Therefore, the role of human resources management is crucial for an effective onboarding and for the correct adaptation to the new normal workplace. The addition of another generation to the work environment will affect both the professional and the social context in which the employees develop their careers. No misunderstanding or wrongful generalization of methods and techniques should be done, as the strategic goals of a firm are individual, and the formal and cultural structures of the company need to be aligned with it for correct decision-making.

As for the results of this research, they allow a better understanding of thematic field of the Gen Z related to the workforce and in the workplace. The analysis revealed the development of the study on Gen Z, the workforce, and the workplace in a time frame of 11 years. From 2009 to 2017, the number of publications is relatively low, and it is from 2018 when the topic starts attracting higher attention. Most authors have only written one document, whereas a few have written two, and only one stood out for the number of publications and citations, Goh, who has written four articles and received 168 citations among all his works. In addition, the journals with most impact are the International Journal of Hospitality Management , the California Management Review , the Journal of Competitiveness , and the Sustainability.

There is a slow but sustained growth of research on the topic, together with a relatively small rate of keywords incorporated and a low stability among periods. This suggests a weakly increasing interest of researchers in the field, and a broad margin for future development. Moving on to the analysis of the thematic cluster evolution, the distribution of themes has been discussed, and the driving theme network of each period has been displayed. The main core of the research on Gen Z within the workforce and in the workplace has been redundantly developing around “Generation-Z, “workplace,” “generations,” “learning-teaching-education,” and “career.” With the volatile progress of the key clusters on the topic through the periods, it is not safe to say which themes will be surely included in the next years, but it seems that Gen Z will keep a strong importance, as well as the current basic clusters, which are related to performance and the workforce.

There are some suggestions in relation to areas with the need of future research due to the absence or to insufficient publications developed. On one hand, a technological aspect on the workplace could be addressed to shed some light on how companies need to prepare or are presently preparing for a digital evolution in the workplace motivated by the tech-savvy Gen Z. On the other hand, it would be interesting to study the knowledge and skills of generation Z as leaders and how they are transferred to future generations.

Author Contributions

ES-T, EN-R, GB-G, and MB-M designed, performed, analyzed the research, wrote the manuscript, searched literature, analyzed, and verified the data of this article. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736820/full#supplementary-material

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Keywords : Generation Z, workplace, workforce, bibliometric review, SciMAT, thematic cluster

Citation: Benítez-Márquez MD, Sánchez-Teba EM, Bermúdez-González G and Núñez-Rydman ES (2022) Generation Z Within the Workforce and in the Workplace: A Bibliometric Analysis. Front. Psychol. 12:736820. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.736820

Received: 05 July 2021; Accepted: 16 December 2021; Published: 01 February 2022.

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Copyright © 2022 Benítez-Márquez, Sánchez-Teba, Bermúdez-González and Núñez-Rydman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: María Dolores Benítez-Márquez, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Generation Z – also known as Gen Z, iGen or postmillennial – are a highly collaborative cohort that cares deeply about others and have a pragmatic attitude about how to address a set of inherited issues like climate change, according to research by Roberta Katz, a senior research scholar at Stanford’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) .

Roberta Katz (Image credit: Charles Katz)

Since 2017, Katz, along with her co-authors, Sarah Ogilvie, a linguist at the University of Oxford and formerly at Stanford; Jane Shaw, a historian who is the principal of Harris Manchester College at Oxford and was previously dean for Religious Life at Stanford; and Linda Woodhead, a sociologist at King’s College London, collaborated as part of a multi-year CASBS research project to better understand a generation who, born between the mid-1990s to around 2010, grew up with digital tools always at their fingertips.

Their findings are based on some 120 interviews gathered on three college campuses – Stanford University; Foothill College, a community college in Los Altos Hills, California; and Lancaster University, a research university in Lancaster, England. A set of focus groups and two surveys in the U.S. and the U.K. were administered to a representative sample of over 2,000 adults aged between 18 and 25 years old.

Contributing further to the scholar’s understanding of Gen Z was the creation of the “ iGen corpus ,” a 70 million item digital repository of spoken and written language of people aged 16 to 25 years that included transcripts from the researchers’ interviews and focus groups, as well as public data from the social media platforms Twitter, Reddit, Twitch, 4chan and YouTube, as well as memes and copypastas from Facebook and Instagram. Ogilvie, the principal investigator on the corpus research team, along with a team of Stanford student research assistants, applied machine learning algorithms to discover the many ways in which young people today express themselves.

Taken together, the scholars’ research offers a snapshot of who Gen Zers really are, what matters to them and why. Findings from Katz’s and her co-authors’ research are detailed in a new book, Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age (University of Chicago Press, 2021).

Here, Katz discusses some of what she and her colleagues learned from their extensive research into how Gen Zers, the most diverse generation yet , experience and understand the world.

Based on your research, can you briefly describe the typical Gen Zer?

In summary, a typical Gen Zer is a self-driver who deeply cares about others, strives for a diverse community, is highly collaborative and social, values flexibility, relevance, authenticity and non-hierarchical leadership, and, while dismayed about inherited issues like climate change, has a pragmatic attitude about the work that has to be done to address those issues.

How has growing up in an internet-connected society shaped how Gen Zers see and experience the world and everyday life?

Internet-related technologies have dramatically changed the speed, scale and scope of human communications, resulting in significant changes in how people work, play, shop, find friends and learn about other people. For Gen Zers living in the United States and Britain (the two places we studied), the “norm” they experienced as children was a world that operated at speed, scale and scope. They developed an early facility with powerful digital tools that allowed them to be self-reliant as well as collaborative. Similarly, because they could learn about people and cultures around the globe from an early age, they developed a greater appreciation for diversity and the importance of finding their own unique identities.

What do people most misunderstand or get wrong about Gen Zers?

For quite a while, people were critical of what they saw as a generation that was too coddled and “soft.” Gen Zers were called “snowflakes” and “unwilling to grow up.” But much of that negative judgment came from a misunderstanding of what it is like to grow up in today’s world when compared with how their elders grew up. As an example, Gen Zers have been criticized as lazy because they don’t have after-school or summer jobs. But many Gen Zers have been earning significant dollars online through a variety of activities, even including product placements on fashion-advice sites. Another example concerns drivers’ licenses: older people, for whom getting a driver’s license was a rite of passage toward adulthood, have criticized Gen Zers who do not rush to take their driver’s tests when they turn 16, but this criticism fails to consider that Gen Zers have no need to drive when they have ready access to ride services like Uber and Lyft.

Do you think Gen Zers get an undeserved bad rap?

Yes, but that is changing. Of late, many people are beginning to appreciate the strength and pragmatism of Gen Zers.

What were you most surprised to learn about Gen Zers?

Our biggest surprise came in response to this interview question: “What type of communication do you like best?” We expected the interviewees to respond with their favorite type of digital communication – e.g., text, email, chat group, DM, FaceTime, Skype, etc. – but instead nearly every single person said their favorite form of communication was “in person.”

As Gen Zers enter the workforce, what would be helpful for other generations to know about their post-millennial colleagues?

For those who are now experiencing Gen Zers in the workplace, my advice is to recognize that these new colleagues are used to working collaboratively and flexibly, with an eye to being efficient in getting the job done. They are pragmatic and value direct communication, authenticity and relevance. They also value self-care. They may be more likely than older people were when they were the age of the Gen Zers to question rules and authority because they are so used to finding what they need on their own. They are not always right; often they don’t know what they need, especially in a new setting, and this is where inter-generational dialogue can be so helpful. Both the older and the younger colleagues can learn from the other, in each case by listening with more respect, appreciation and trust. The older colleague can learn some helpful new ways of getting a job done, while the younger colleague may learn good reasons for why things have long been done in a certain way. Without that dialogue, we’ll have a wasteful tug of war between the past and the future. The goal is for older and younger generations to work together, with openness and trust, to ensure that the wisdom – but not what has become the excess baggage – of the past is not lost to the future.

How has studying Gen Zers changed your own interactions with this generation?

I came to understand that Gen Zers are, on the whole, much better adapted to life in a digital age than those of us who are older and that they can be very frustrated by what appear to them to be outdated and often irrelevant ways of doing things. As one simple example that we cite in the book, an older person would likely assume that any organization needs a set of officers, for that has been the norm in their experience, but a Gen Zer would say, from their lived experience, that there is no need to elect officers (or other leaders) if the group can accomplish its mission through online collaborations that take advantage of the participants’ diverse skills.

In my own interactions with Gen Zers, I am much more likely than I used to be to listen closely to what they say, and to refrain from making a judgment about their ideas, values and behaviors based on an assumption that they are wrong and I am right. They often do things differently, have some different values and have some different ideas about the future than I do, and I have come to appreciate and trust that they often have a new and better approach. Many of us who are older have a different understanding of how the world works, which is rooted in our own early experiences, so it’s easy for us to assume that the world will continue to operate in much the same way going forward and that the young people need to adapt to that older way of living. But the younger people are necessarily future-oriented, and as we all are increasingly coming to appreciate, the digital-age future is quite different from the industrial-age past.

For 13 years, Katz served under Stanford University Presidents John Hennessy and Marc Tessier-Lavigne as the associate vice president for strategic planning. She also served as President Tessier-Lavigne’s interim chief of staff until early 2017. Katz has been deeply involved in the facilitation of a variety of interdisciplinary research initiatives at Stanford, and she is a current member of the CASBS board of directors.

This research was funded by the Knight Foundation.

Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z

• First Online: 25 June 2023

Cite this chapter

• Teresa Berenice Treviño Benavides   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4993-3701 6 ,
• Ana Teresa Alcorta Castro 6 ,
• Sofia Alejandra Garza Marichalar 6 ,
• Mariamiranda Peña Cisneros 6 &
• Elena Catalina Baker Suárez 6  

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Business ((BRIEFSBUSINESS))

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The present chapter addresses recent research around the topic of social media use and Generation Z. Particularly, the chapter presents some benefits of social media, such as communication, personal brand-building, fun, leisure, among others. However, it is well-known that all benefits of social media come with a price, which are explored within this chapter. For example spreading personal information, privacy and social risks, as well as significant time spent on these platforms, which may lead to social media addiction.

Social media addiction is considered as a form of Internet addiction, as individuals use social media compulsively and excessively which are linked to brain changes. Some effects of social media addiction have been addressed, such as poor mental health, bad performance in academic or work activities, and affecting user’s ability to pay attention to important aspects of their lives. Further, this chapter discusses the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), created by Griffiths (Internet addiction: does it really exist? In: Gackenbach J (ed) Psychology and the Internet: intrapersonal, interpersonal and transpersonal applications. Academic, New York, pp 61–75, 1998), which attempts to measure the possibility of developing social media addiction.

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Treviño Benavides, T.B., Alcorta Castro, A.T., Garza Marichalar, S.A., Peña Cisneros, M., Baker Suárez, E.C. (2023). Research on Social Media Use and Generation Z. In: Social Media Addiction in Generation Z Consumers. SpringerBriefs in Business. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33452-8_2

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‘True Gen’: Generation Z and its implications for companies

See our latest research on gen z in america  and gen z in asia ..

Long before the term “influencer” was coined, young people played that social role by creating and interpreting trends. Now a new generation of influencers has come on the scene. Members of Gen Z—loosely, people born from 1995 to 2010 —are true digital natives: from earliest youth, they have been exposed to the internet, to social networks, and to mobile systems. That context has produced a hypercognitive generation very comfortable with collecting and cross-referencing many sources of information and with integrating virtual and offline experiences.

As global connectivity soars, generational shifts could come to play a more important role in setting behavior than socioeconomic differences do. Young people have become a potent influence on people of all ages and incomes, as well as on the way those people consume and relate to brands. In Brazil, Gen Z already makes up 20 percent of the country’s population. McKinsey recently collaborated with Box1824, a research agency specializing in consumer trends, to conduct a survey investigating the behaviors of this new generation and its influence on consumption patterns in Brazil. 1 From June to October 2017, researchers, psychologists, and social scientists undertook ethnographic field research to observe how Gen Zers communicate, what they believe in, and the choices they make (and why). Using advanced ethnographic techniques (scenario invasion), researchers conducted 120 qualitative interviews in Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo with influential people from this generation. Besides the field research, 90 Gen Zers participated in focus groups in these three cities, as well as in Florianópolis and Goiânia. From October 3 to 11, we also conducted an online survey with 2,321 men and women from 14 to 64 years of age and various socioeconomic brackets in Brazil. The survey coupled qualitative insights about Gen Z in three of the country’s major cities (Recife, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo) with multigenerational quantitative data that cut across socioeconomic classes. Our goal was to understand how this new generation’s views might affect the broader population, as well as consumption in general.

Our study based on the survey reveals four core Gen Z behaviors, all anchored in one element: this generation’s search for truth. Gen Zers value individual expression and avoid labels. They mobilize themselves for a variety of causes. They believe profoundly in the efficacy of dialogue to solve conflicts and improve the world. Finally, they make decisions and relate to institutions in a highly analytical and pragmatic way. That is why, for us, Gen Z is “True Gen.” In contrast, the previous generation— the millennials , sometimes called the “me generation”—got its start in an era of economic prosperity and focuses on the self. Its members are more idealistic, more confrontational, and less willing to accept diverse points of view.

More about Gen Z

Listen to the authors of this article describe Gen Z characteristics in greater detail.

Such behaviors influence the way Gen Zers view consumption and their relationships with brands. Companies should be attuned to three implications for this generation: consumption as access rather than possession, consumption as an expression of individual identity, and consumption as a matter of ethical concern. Coupled with technological advances, this generational shift is transforming the consumer landscape in a way that cuts across all socioeconomic brackets and extends beyond Gen Z, permeating the whole demographic pyramid. The possibilities now emerging for companies are as transformational as they are challenging. Businesses must rethink how they deliver value to the consumer, rebalance scale and mass production against personalization, and—more than ever—practice what they preach when they address marketing issues and work ethics.

Meet True Gen

Generations are shaped by the context in which they emerged (Exhibit 1). Baby boomers, born from 1940 to 1959, were immersed in the post–World War II context and are best represented by consumption as an expression of ideology. Gen Xers (born 1960–79) consumed status, while millennials (born 1980–94) consumed experiences. For Generation Z, as we have seen, the main spur to consumption is the search for truth, in both a personal and a communal form (Exhibit 2). This generation feels comfortable not having only one way to be itself. Its search for authenticity generates greater freedom of expression and greater openness to understanding different kinds of people.

‘Undefined ID’: Expressing individual truth

I need to be free; I need to be myself, increasingly be myself, every day. With the internet, I feel much more free. —Female respondent, 22, city of São Paulo

I really like things that are unisex! I think it’s absurd that stores and brands split everything into “male” and “female.” After all, fabric is genderless. —Female respondent, 22, Goiânia

For Gen Zers, the key point is not to define themselves through only one stereotype but rather for individuals to experiment with different ways of being themselves and to shape their individual identities over time (Exhibit 3). In this respect, you might call them “identity nomads.”

Seventy-six percent of Gen Zers say they are religious. At the same time, they are also the generation most open to a variety of themes not necessarily aligned with the broader beliefs of their declared religions. For example, 20 percent of them do not consider themselves exclusively heterosexual, as opposed to 10 percent for other generations. Sixty percent of Gen Zers think that same-sex couples should be able to adopt children—ten percentage points more than people in other generations do.

Gender fluidity may be the most telling reflection of “undefined ID,” but it isn’t the only one. Gen Zers are always connected. They constantly evaluate unprecedented amounts of information and influences. For them, the self is a place to experiment, test, and change. Seven out of ten Gen Zers say it is important to defend causes related to identity, so they are more interested than previous generations have been in human rights; in matters related to race and ethnicity; in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues; and in feminism (Exhibit 4).

‘Communaholic’: Connecting to different truths

We each have our own style and way of being, but what binds us is that we accept and understand everyone’s styles. —Male respondent, 16, Recife

Gen Zers are radically inclusive. They don’t distinguish between friends they meet online and friends in the physical world. They continually flow between communities that promote their causes by exploiting the high level of mobilization technology makes possible. Gen Zers value online communities because they allow people of different economic circumstances to connect and mobilize around causes and interests. (Sixty-six percent of the Gen Zers in our survey believe that communities are created by causes and interests, not by economic backgrounds or educational levels. That percentage is well above the corresponding one for millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers.) Fifty-two percent of Gen Zers think it is natural for every individual to belong to different groups (compared with 45 percent of the people in other generations), and Gen Zers have no problem with moving between groups.

‘Dialoguer’: Understanding different truths

We must practice tolerance, and we must learn to listen and accept differences. —Male respondent, 20, Gioânia

Gen Zers believe in the importance of dialogue and accept differences of opinion with the institutions in which they participate and with their own families (Exhibit 5). They can interact with institutions that reject their personal values without abandoning those values. The fact that Gen Zers feel comfortable interacting with traditional religious institutions without abandoning personal beliefs that might not be broadly accepted by these institutions also demonstrates their pragmatism. Rather than spurn an institution altogether, Gen Zers would rather engage with it to extract whatever makes sense for them.

Members of this generation therefore tend to believe that change must come from dialogue: 57 percent of millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers think they would have to break with the system to change the world, compared with 49 percent of Gen Zers. Gen Z is also more willing to accommodate the failings of companies. Thirty-nine percent of the people in this generation, for example, expect companies to answer customer complaints in the same day; for the three earlier generations, the percentage is much higher—52 percent.

Gen Z’s belief in dialogue combines a high value for individual identity, the rejection of stereotypes , and a considerable degree of pragmatism. That brings us to the fourth core behavior of Gen Z.

‘Realistic’: Unveiling the truth behind all things

I don’t believe this talk of investing in the dream and all that. Work is work. —Female respondent, 22, Salvador, state of Bahia

Gen Zers, with vast amounts of information at their disposal, are more pragmatic and analytical about their decisions than members of previous generations were. Sixty-five percent of the Gen Zers in our survey said that they particularly value knowing what is going on around them and being in control. This generation of self-learners is also more comfortable absorbing knowledge online than in traditional institutions of learning.

What’s more, Gen Z was raised at a time of global economic stress —in fact, the greatest economic downturn in Brazil’s history. These challenges made Gen Zers less idealistic than the millennials we surveyed (Exhibit 6). Many Gen Zers are keenly aware of the need to save for the future and see job stability as more important than a high salary. They already show a high preference for regular employment rather than freelance or part-time work, which may come as a surprise compared to the attitude of millennials, for example. According to the survey, 42 percent of Gen Zers from 17 to 23 years old are already gainfully employed in either full- or part-time jobs or as freelance workers—a high percentage for people so young.

Gen Z: Consumption and implications for companies

The youthful forms of behavior we discuss here are influencing all generations and, ultimately, attitudes toward consumption as well. Three forces are emerging in a powerful confluence of technology and behavior.

Consumption re-signified: From possession to access

This more pragmatic and realistic generation of consumers expects to access and evaluate a broad range of information before purchases. Gen Zers analyze not only what they buy but also the very act of consuming. Consumption has also gained a new meaning. For Gen Z—and increasingly for older generations as well—consumption means having access to products or services, not necessarily owning them. As access becomes the new form of consumption, unlimited access to goods and services (such as car-riding services, video streaming, and subscriptions) creates value. Products become services, and services connect consumers.

As collaborative consumption gains traction, people are also starting to view it as a way to generate additional income in the “ gig economy .” Another aspect of the gig economy involves consumers who take advantage of their existing relationships with companies to generate additional income by working temporarily for them. Some companies are already embracing the implications.

Would you like to learn more about our Consumer Packaged Goods Practice ?

Car manufacturers, for example, are renting out vehicles directly to consumers, so that instead of selling 1,000 cars, these companies may sell one car 1,000 times. The role of sporting-goods businesses, likewise, has shifted to helping people become better athletes by providing access to equipment, technology, coaching, and communities of like-minded consumers. Similarly, traditional consumer-goods companies should consider creating platforms of products, services, and experiences that aggregate or connect customers around brands. Companies historically defined by the products they sell or consume can now rethink their value-creation models, leveraging more direct relationships with consumers and new distribution channels.

Singularity: Consumption as an expression of individual identity

The core of Gen Z is the idea of manifesting individual identity. Consumption therefore becomes a means of self-expression—as opposed, for example, to buying or wearing brands to fit in with the norms of groups. Led by Gen Z and millennials, consumers across generations are not only eager for more personalized products but also willing to pay a premium for products that highlight their individuality. Fifty-eight percent of A-class and 43 percent of C-class consumers 2 2. A-class consumers have household incomes above $6,631; B-class consumers, incomes from $1,540 to $6,631; and C-class consumers, incomes from $516 to $1,540. say they are willing to pay more for personalized offerings. Seventy percent of A-class and 58 percent of C-class consumers are willing to pay a premium for products from brands that embrace causes those consumers identify with. And here’s another finding that stood out in our survey: 48 percent of Gen Zers—but only 38 percent of consumers in other generations—said they value brands that don’t classify items as male or female. For most brands, that is truly new territory.

Although expectations of personalization are high, consumers across generations are not yet totally comfortable about sharing their personal data with companies. Only 10 to 15 percent of them declare not to have any issues in sharing personal data with companies. If there is a clear counterpart from companies to consumers, then the number of consumers willing to share personal information with companies goes up to 35 percent—still a relatively small number.

As the on- and offline worlds converge, consumers expect more than ever to consume products and services any time and any place, so omnichannel marketing and sales must reach a new level. For consumers who are always and everywhere online, the online–offline boundary doesn’t exist. Meanwhile, we are entering the “segmentation of one” age now that companies can use advanced analytics to improve their insights from consumer data. Customer information that companies have long buried in data repositories now has strategic value, and in some cases information itself creates the value. Leading companies should therefore have a data strategy that will prepare them to develop business insights by collecting and interpreting information about individual consumers while protecting data privacy.

For decades, consumer companies and retailers have realized gains through economies of scale. Now they may have to accept a two-track model: the first for scale and mass consumption, the other for customization catering to specific groups of consumers or to the most loyal consumers. In this scenario, not only marketing but also the supply chain and manufacturing processes would require more agility and flexibility. For businesses, that kind of future raises many questions. How long will clothing collections grouped by gender continue to make sense, for example? How should companies market cars or jewelry in an inclusive, unbiased way? To what extent should the need for a two-speed business transform the internal processes and structure of companies?

Consumption anchored on ethics

Finally, consumers increasingly expect brands to “take a stand.” The point is not to have a politically correct position on a broad range of topics. It is to choose the specific topics (or causes) that make sense for a brand and its consumers and to have something clear to say about those particular issues. In a transparent world, younger consumers don’t distinguish between the ethics of a brand, the company that owns it, and its network of partners and suppliers. A company’s actions must match its ideals, and those ideals must permeate the entire stakeholder system.

Gen Z consumers are mostly well educated about brands and the realities behind them. When they are not, they know how to access information and develop a point of view quickly. If a brand advertises diversity but lacks diversity within its own ranks, for example, that contradiction will be noticed. In fact, members of the other generations we surveyed share this mind-set. Seventy percent of our respondents say they try to purchase products from companies they consider ethical. Eighty percent say they remember at least one scandal or controversy involving a company. About 65 percent try to learn the origins of anything they buy—where it is made, what it is made from, and how it is made. About 80 percent refuse to buy goods from companies involved in scandals.

All this is relevant for businesses, since 63 percent of the consumers we surveyed said that recommendations from friends are their most trusted source for learning about products and brands. The good news is that consumers—in particular Gen Zers—are tolerant of brands when they make mistakes, if the mistakes are corrected. That path is more challenging for large corporations, since a majority of our respondents believe that major brands are less ethical than small ones.

For consumers, marketing and work ethics are converging. Companies must therefore not only identify clearly the topics on which they will take positions but also ensure that everyone throughout the value chain gets on board. For the same reason, companies ought to think carefully about the marketing agents who represent their brands and products. Remember too that consumers increasingly understand that some companies subsidize their influencers. Perhaps partly for that reason, consumers tend to pay more attention to closer connections—for example, Instagram personas with 5,000 to 20,000 followers. Marketing in the digital age is posing increasingly complex challenges as channels become more fragmented and ever changing.

Young people have always embodied the zeitgeist of their societies, profoundly influencing trends and behavior alike. The influence of Gen Z—the first generation of true digital natives—is now radiating outward, with the search for truth at the center of its characteristic behavior and consumption patterns. Technology has given young people an unprecedented degree of connectivity among themselves and with the rest of the population. That makes generational shifts more important and speeds up technological trends as well. For companies, this shift will bring both challenges and equally attractive opportunities. And remember: the first step in capturing any opportunity is being open to it.

Tracy Francis is a senior partner and Fernanda Hoefel is a partner in McKinsey’s São Paulo office.

The authors wish to thank the broader team of people that contributed to this article in many different forms.

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Exploring Generation Z and Young Millennials’ Perspectives of a Spiritual Self-Care App and Their Spiritual Identity (Skylight): Qualitative Semistructured Interview Study

Susanna y park.

1 Skylight, Radiant Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT, United States

Jacqlyn Yourell

2 Fit Minded Inc, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Kelsey L McAlister

Jennifer huberty, associated data.

Themes and example quotes.

Generation Z and young millennials (ages 18-35 years), collectively referred to as GenZennials, are connected to technology and the internet like no other generation before them. This has mental health implications, such as increased rates of anxiety and stress. Recent research has shown that app-based mental health interventions can be useful to address such mental health concerns. However, spirituality is an untapped resource, especially since GenZennials largely identify as spiritual and already integrate spiritual practices into their self-care.

There were four objectives to this study: (1) comprehensively explore reasons why GenZennials use a spiritual self-care app (ie, Skylight; Radiant Foundation), (2) understand how GenZennials identify spiritually, (3) understand the app’s relevance to GenZennials, and (4) gather feedback and suggestions to improve the app.

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 GenZennials (ages 18-35 years; mean 28.7, SD 5.0 years; n=20, 87% female) who used the Skylight app. Interviews were 30 to 60 minutes and conducted on Zoom. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews.

Five major categories emerged from the analysis, each encompassing one to several themes: (1) reasons for using the Skylight app, (2) content favorites, (3) defining spiritual identity, (4) relevance to GenZennials, and (5) overall improvement recommendations. Participants used the app for various reasons including to relax, escape, or ground themselves; improve mood; and enhance overall health and wellness. Participants also cited the app’s variety of content offerings and its free accessibility as their primary reasons for using it. Most participants identified themselves as solely spiritual (8/23/35%) among the options provided (ie, spiritual or religious or both), and they appreciated the app’s inclusive content. Participants felt that the app was relevant to their generation as it offered modern content (eg, spiritual self-care activities and short content). Participants recommended adding more personalization capabilities, content, and representation to the app.

Conclusions

This is the first study to qualitatively explore GenZennials’ perspectives and the use of a spiritual self-care app. Our findings should inform the future creation and improvement of spiritual self-care apps aimed at cultivating GenZennials’ spiritual and mental well-being. Future research is warranted to examine the effects of using a spiritual self-care app on GenZennial mental health.

Introduction

Generation Z (Gen Z; those born between 1995 and 2012) and young millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) [ 1 ], collectively referred to as GenZennials, are a unique population as they came of age in the digital age. This time period is characterized by the ability to easily exchange information and quickly access vast amounts of data through the internet. GenZennials conduct much of their lives in the digital world, using digital platforms for communication, education, finances, and more. Over 90% of GenZennials have access to smartphones [ 2 ], and they report spending more time on their digital devices than previous generations [ 3 ]. This constant connectivity contributes to a sense of being “always on” [ 4 ]. The inability to disconnect carries several mental and physical health consequences, highlighting the need for resources to support GenZennials’ mental health.

GenZennials in the United States report higher rates of mental health problems compared to other generations [ 5 ]. According to the 2021 McKinsey Consumer Health Insights Survey that included 2906 US respondents, Gen Z had the least positive outlook on life, the most emotional distress, and more diagnoses of conditions such as substance abuse and mental illness relative to older generations [ 6 ]. Over half of the US Gen Z (57%) and nearly half of the US millennials (46%) say they have experienced anxiety and depression symptoms [ 7 ]. In a survey of over 23,000 people, nearly half (48%) of Gen Z and 38% of millennials reported being stressed or anxious all or most of the time [ 8 ]. There is a clear and urgent need to address the unique mental health needs of GenZennials in a way that resonates with them and is tailored to their experiences.

Leveraging spirituality is one potential solution to address GenZennials’ unique mental health needs. Spirituality is a broad concept in which individuals seek connection to themselves, to others, to nature, and to something greater than themselves [ 9 ]. Most Gen Z (77%) consider themselves spiritual [ 10 ], and over half (51%) of millennials report feeling deep spirituality at least weekly [ 11 ]. GenZennials define spirituality as “faith unbundled” [ 10 ], fluidly combining religious and nonreligious elements such as gratitude, fasting, prayer, art, affirmations, time in nature, and alternative practices (ie, tarot) [ 10 , 12 , 13 ]. Given the link between spirituality and mental health and GenZennials’ interest in spiritual practices [ 11 , 14 ], there is a need to understand how GenZennials view spirituality and how this may help them manage their mental health.

Research shows that there is a positive association between spirituality and mental health outcomes [ 15 , 16 ]. A review summarizing the associations of spirituality and mental health found that higher levels of spirituality were linked to fewer symptoms of depression, lower suicidality, and less substance abuse [ 16 ]. Additionally, a systematic review of randomized control trials suggests that spirituality interventions may improve outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, and alcoholism in adults [ 17 ]. Compared to those with low spirituality, highly spiritual adults report greater quality of life [ 18 ]. A recent cross-sectional study on 475 US GenZennial users of a spiritual self-care app found that more frequent app use was significantly associated with lower self-reported anxiety [ 19 ]. Thus, spiritual self-care apps may be a promising way to address poor mental health in GenZennials, and additional efficacy research is needed.

Skylight (Radiant Foundation) is a free spiritual self-care app developed to cultivate personal spiritual well-being and improve well-being. To our knowledge, Skylight is one of the few spiritual well-being apps available that is nondenominational and aims to increase spiritual self-care access. In a recent cross-sectional survey [ 19 ], GenZennial Skylight users (N=475) reported downloading the Skylight app to improve spiritual well-being (n=130, 27.4%) and overall health (n=125, 26.3%). Research is needed on app-based spiritual practices as a potential mental health solution for GenZennials.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a more nuanced understanding of how users engage with and perceive a spiritual self-care app. The aims of this study are to (1) understand why GenZennials use a spiritual self-care app, Skylight; (2) explore how GenZennials identify spiritually; (3) determine Skylight’s relevance to GenZennials; and (4) gather feedback to improve the app. Findings from this study may inform the product and content of spiritual self-care apps for GenZennials. Additionally, results will guide the design of a randomized controlled trial examining the effects of using a spiritual self-care app on spiritual well-being and mental health outcomes in this population.

Study Design

This study used an exploratory qualitative approach using semistructured interviews.

Ethical Considerations

This study was approved by Solutions Institutional Review Board (protocol 2023-Nov-0097) as part of a larger cross-sectional study [ 19 ]. All participants in this study provided electronic consent prior to participating in the interview. Participant confidentiality was maintained by deidentifying any personal information prior to analysis. Participants were able to cancel the interview and withdraw from the study at any time.

Recruitment and Participants

Participants were recruited from June 2023 to September 2023 through 2 methods. First, at the end of a prior cross-sectional survey on Skylight [ 19 ], GenZennial (aged 18 to 35 years) respondents were asked about participating in an interview. Second, a recruitment banner in the Skylight app asked users if they were interested in an interview. For both recruitment methods, interested individuals scheduled interviews via a Calendly link (a web-based scheduling software; Calendly) and email. Eligibility criteria required participants to be 18 to 35 years of age at the time of the interview, a US resident, and a current Skylight user. Ineligible individuals were those who had never used the mobile or web version of Skylight. Participants confirmed their eligibility in Calendly before confirming their interview time and were sent electronic consent forms via DocuSign (DocuSign, Inc). The interviewer confirmed with participants via email that they were 18 to 35 years of age. If participants were deemed ineligible after scheduling an interview, the interviewer canceled the interview and notified them via email. Participants received US $25 Amazon gift cards as compensation.

The Skylight App

Information about Skylight has been reported elsewhere [ 19 ]. Briefly, Skylight is a free spiritual self-care app, supported by the Radiant Foundation, to cultivate an inclusive space for faith and spirituality. The app features various practices, including prayer, yoga, meditation, and affirmations. We chose the Skylight app for this study because it is the only app to our knowledge that implements spiritual self-care completely free of cost.

Data Collection

From June 2023 to September 2023, a total of 23 participants completed semistructured interviews conducted by 3 researchers (SYP, JY, and KLM) trained in qualitative methods. The interviewers had no prior relationships with the interview participants. At the start of each interview, interviewers briefly reiterated the purpose of the study and reviewed the informed consent form, including permission for audio recording. Interviewers reminded participants that any identifiable data would be removed to protect their confidentiality. Participants were encouraged to share their honest thoughts about the app and were told that they had the right to terminate the interview at any time.

All interviews were conducted on Zoom (Zoom Video Communications), lasting 30 to 60 minutes each. SYP created a semistructured interview guide ( Table 1 ) to maintain consistency across all interviews. The guide drew from a prior cross-sectional survey [ 19 ] that quantitatively examined Skylight user engagement (ie, frequency, content used, and use reason), perceptions of the app (ie, app purpose or scope), and views on spiritual self-care (ie, definition and importance). To explore these topics in greater depth, researchers asked participants about their reasons for using Skylight, how they identify spiritually, Skylight’s generational relevance, and suggestions for improvement. Demographic information was collected at the end of the interview. Interviews were audio recorded with participant consent and transcribed using Otter.ai (Otter.ai Inc). For each interview, researchers also took notes directly in the interview guide. All audio files and notes were transcribed verbatim, deidentified, and saved using unique participant IDs.

Semistructured interview guide.

To ensure rigor, researchers (SYP and JY) concurrently collected and analyzed data using recommended qualitative methods [ 20 , 21 ]. The researchers conducted a thematic analysis in Dedoose (version 9.0.107; Socio Cultural Research Consultants, LLC) [ 22 ], which involves identifying common themes in qualitative data [ 23 ]. A codebook with a priori themes was developed based on the interview questions. SYP and JY independently coded 2 transcripts and updated the codebook with additional themes and subsequent codes that emerged. Themes and codes were added when appropriate throughout data analysis, and all transcripts were reviewed with the finalized codebook to ensure all themes and codes were captured. Thematic saturation was established by iteratively reviewing codes during the analysis to confirm that no new codes emerged. SYP and JY calculated Cohen κ, which measures interrater reliability, to determine sufficient agreement (κ=0.67 for transcript 1 and κ=0.82 for transcript 2). κ scores exceeded the 0.61 threshold for acceptable agreement [ 24 ]; data may be coded independently after obtaining acceptable agreement [ 25 ]. After reviewing discrepancies, the researchers divided and independently coded the remaining transcripts. After all the transcripts were coded, SYP and JY reviewed the final codes across all transcripts and agreed on the final themes.

Participant Characteristics

In total, 23 Skylight users completed semistructured interviews. Participants were 18 to 35 years of age (mean 28.7, SD 5.0 years) and predominantly female (n=20, 87%). More than half of the participants were White (n=13, 57), followed by those who identified as multiracial (n=5, 22%), Black (n=3, 13%), and Middle Eastern or North African (n=2, 9%). Some (n=7, 30%) participants indicated they were not affiliated with a religion. Additional demographic characteristics can be found in Table 2 .

Demographic characteristics of Skylight users (N=23).

The analysis revealed 5 key categories: reasons for using the app, favorite content, defining spiritual identity, relevance to GenZennials, and recommendations for improvement. Each category encompassed one to several themes (see Multimedia Appendix 1 for themes and accompanying example quotes).

Reasons for Using the Skylight App

Participants identified multiple reasons for using Skylight including to relax, escape, or ground themselves; improve their mood; and enhance their overall health and wellness. Participants also used the app for its diverse range of content and because it was free to use.

Relax or Escape or Ground

Participants used Skylight to divert from stressful situations, center themselves, and relax. Users valued the ability to use the app in times of immediate need.

It just takes the edge off the day...whenever I’m needing to just relax, Skylight has become part of it [the day]. Participant 1004, female

Many users described the app as an escape from daily stressors and current events, providing a much-needed respite from the demands of their lives.

I’m at the tail end of a very nasty breakup from a long term relationship...so there’s been numerous times that’s revolved around that [Skylight use]. Participant 921, female

Just to come back to a center, to a place within me where I don’t feel as bogged down by the world or some of the stresses in life. Participant 1011, female

In these cases, participants appear to perceive the app as a tool to self-soothe and self-manage immediate and daily stressors.

Improve Mood

Some users described instances where they navigated to Skylight to boost their mood when feeling down. This includes feelings of sadness or despair, whether due to a situation that triggered these feelings or because of past experiences.

If I’m feeling...sad...thinking about some of the things I’ve been through can get me a little down. So I’ll open that [Skylight] and it always uplifts me. Participant 1011, female

Overall Health and Wellness

Skylight users described using the app to improve their overall health and wellness.

I’m using the app to help mentally and it helped spiritually as well. I’m just trying to...take it one day at a time...trying to find different methods to help me cope. Participant 695, female

Some mentioned using specific content, such as affirmations, for their overall health and wellness, including depression and anxiety:

The depression, the self-esteem, the self-worth, you know, there’s so many affirmations online you know. Participant 1004, female

So I deal with anxiety, and some other things, so being able to, like I’m really big on meditation, and affirmations, and pretty much anything that the app has...and they helped me in my everyday life by creating morning routines. Participant 1012, female

Many also used Skylight to improve sleep, listening to content before bed or while falling asleep.

So a lot of times I do pick up the sleep and meditate and it actually makes me fall asleep quick. Participant 695, female

In all of these cases, participants describe using Skylight as a tool for their physical, spiritual, and mental wellness. They are also able to address different facets of their wellness using specific content that they feel is appropriate to their wellness needs.

Variety of Content

Users favored Skylight’s diverse range of content, mentioning it as a “one-stop-shop” meeting various needs. The app offers a number of spiritual self-care practices, such as meditation, prayer, yoga, and affirmations. Participants appreciated the ability to choose practices according to their preferences.

How I’m using Skylight...it’s like I’m making my own little cocktail in a way, in any kind of direction of self help. Participant 1004, female

The ability to make “their own little cocktail” allows users to prioritize their wellness in a personalized manner and continue to adjust what content they choose to consume based on their changing needs.

Skylight users were grateful that the app is free, citing this as a key reason they downloaded the app and used it.

The fact that it had no in-app costs, because I’ve gotten into some that once you get into it, the prices are just ridiculous. Participant 921, female

The cost-free aspect of the app sometimes came as a surprise to users since they expected to have to pay to access more content. However, participants described feeling pleased to find out that all of the app’s content could be accessed at no cost. Another participant regretted not finding the app sooner, as it could have saved on other costs.

I pay for Calm, I pay for Finch, I pay for therapy, I pay for mental health medication. Like that’s a lot. There are so many other bills I already pay...if I had found this app sooner than any of the rest of that I probably wouldn’t have needed [the other apps]. Participant 835, female

Content Favorites

Though not asked directly, participants organically discussed their favorite parts of Skylight. The main appreciation was for the app’s inclusive content.

Inclusive Content

Users favored Skylight’s inclusivity toward diverse faiths, beliefs, and backgrounds. For instance, participants in any stage of their life or spiritual background could participate without feeling excluded or offended. Participants in this study had diverse religious (or nonreligious) upbringings, and regardless of their current beliefs or perspectives on spirituality, Skylight offered a space for them to explore and practice spirituality in a respectful manner.

I’ve got like this spiritual gumbo going on. And I do not feel disrespected in any way. Participant 894, nonbinary

I like how it doesn’t focus on a specific deity type thing. How it can be applied to any way shape or religion that you are, it can even apply to anywhere. Because mine is kind of fluid. Sometimes it tends to kind of change depending on my circumstances or what I believe. Participant 289, female

Defining Spiritual Identity

To understand participants’ spiritual identities, we asked if they considered themselves spiritual and/or religious. The most prominent theme was identifying as solely spiritual. Those identifying as spiritual saw religion as more rigid, such as having established rules and expectations. Spirituality was described as more fluid, allowing the incorporation of various beliefs and practices. One participant described how their past religious affiliation influenced their spiritual identity.

So I’ve come to a space where I want a better, a real relationship with God. But on my terms, rather than on what my parents and my grandparents taught me...But for me, it’s not based on religion because...it was very strict and what you could and could not do, rather than just having a love for God and...taking care of yourself...So I think that’s why I consider myself to be more spiritual because I feel like spirituality comes with something that’s within, not just the external factors, but what’s within you that can kind of bring out the light in those external factors. Participant 1012, female

For another participant, they reflected on how it was difficult to identify with their family’s religious background given its rigidity, and they had difficulty finding a meaningful connection to this religious belief. As a result, they identified being spiritual as something broader while having a connection to something greater.

...in my family, it was our belief system that was religious based. And that never really seemed to work for me. But as I moved away from it, I still felt a connection to something. I knew something was there...something higher than me. But it didn’t have to be labeled as something... Participant 1011, female

Both participants reflected on their past religious upbringings and discussed the role they played in their current spiritual identity. They present similarities to how GenZennials as a whole feel about the rigidity of institutionalized religion and how they seek practices that are more flexible and tailored to their beliefs.

Relevance to GenZennials

When asked about how Skylight was relevant to their generation, 2 themes emerged: content and mental wellness.

Participants appreciated Skylight’s content, explaining that it was modern and attractive to their age group. The app’s modern approach appealed to its users because it included practices that are considered newer and more prominent among younger generations.

I think it’s more modern. I don’t know if older generations really...did affirmations and stuff like that...It’s really like...almost making a hip way to practice religion. Participant 677, female

Users found the succinct, understandable delivery of the content well-suited for GenZennials accustomed to digesting information rapidly. Further, they had a clear understanding and awareness of their technological capabilities and their need for fast, accessible information.

We’re a very fast generation, everything is instant gratification, instant reward...you can have short, less than three minute videos, and that is great for a “high speed, I gotta go now, I gotta move now” generation. Participant 921, female

Mental Wellness

Participants also noted how GenZennials engage with mental wellness (eg, spiritual self-care) differently than older generations. Apps such as Skylight allow GenZennials to cultivate their mental wellness through tailored spiritual self-care practices. This further ties into the previous theme (content), where users appreciated Skylight’s modernity since younger generations participated in spirituality differently than older generations.

I do think that like the people in my generation...they’re generally...a little bit more spiritual and more interested in meditation, breath work, and yoga became so big as I was growing up too. Participant 1003, female

Overall Improvement Recommendations

When asked about how to improve Skylight overall, participants primarily suggested increasing personalization features, adding more interactive content and gamified content, expanding health-related offerings (ie, adding more content related to general health), and improving representation across genders and cultures.

Personalization

Participants suggested various ways Skylight could make the app more personalized to its users. Suggestions included having notification reminders to log in to Skylight, content bookmarking so they could easily go back to the practices they saved, practice completion tracking so they could track their spiritual practice progress, and customizable playlists to curate their own list of spiritual practices.

I was gonna say if there was a way to make a playlist you know, from everything from the yoga to the frequency music, to you know from every selection they have. Participant 1004, female

But if you guys do add more content, that [ability to make playlists] might be helpful going forward, just so people can really customize it to their preferences. Participant 663, female

Interactive Content

Participants discussed wanting more interactive content features, such as chat functions ( Multimedia Appendix 1 ) or gamified content. One participant expressed wanting built-in time for reflection during spiritual practices in order to actively engage with the content.

I would want there to be long pauses in between each thought to process what was just said. Speaking from experience, I definitely have found that some follow-alongs that I listened to just say a lot and they’re all really good things. We don’t get time to really process and internalize what they’re saying. Participant 102, male

More or New Content

Participants enjoyed existing content overall, and some wanted to see more variety of content on the app so that they could have more options to choose from.

Definitely more different variety. Different styles. You know, like exercises? Maybe that will be good, not just for your mind but for the physical body. Participant 821, female

In addition to increasing the variety of current content, participants recommended adding new topics such as mindful eating, recovery support for alcohol and substance use, healing from abusive relationships, and more.

I feel like you should put in a section about eating the right foods for your body since whatever you eat is how you feel. That’s definitely connected to your mind, soul and body. Participant 817, female

Representation

While participants expressed satisfaction with Skylight’s inclusiveness toward different faiths (see the Inclusive Content section), they proposed enhancements to improve the representation of GenZennials in the app. For example, one participant proposed adding more male creators since most were female, feeling this could attract and engage more male users.

...if you wanted to appeal to more of a male audience, having more male creators on the app...I think that could help with [my] generation. Participant 905, male

Another participant recommended increased cultural and language diversity in the app to reach a broader audience. Currently, the app offers music from Korean and Ukrainian artists. Participants saw these inclusions as favorable and expressed wanting more.

Maybe diversify it, like offer other languages or maybe different methods in regards to different cultures. Participant 992, female

Increasing the representation of different backgrounds in the app may offer another way to increase engagement with the app, as GenZennials see their identities reflected in the app content.

Principal Findings

The purpose of this paper was to (1) understand why GenZennials use a spiritual self-care app, Skylight; (2) explore how GenZennials identify spiritually; (3) determine Skylight’s relevance to GenZennials; and (4) gather feedback to improve the app. Our qualitative analysis yielded five key categories (each containing one to several themes) including (1) reasons for using the app, (2) favorite content, (3) defining spiritual identity, (4) relevance to GenZennials, and (5) recommendations for improvement. This is one of the first qualitative papers to explore GenZennials’ experience with and perceptions of a spiritual self-care mobile app as well as their spiritual identities. Our findings will inform future spiritual self-care app development and randomized trials.

Reasons for Using Skylight

Participants reported using Skylight to relax, escape, or ground themselves; improve mood; and enhance overall health and wellness and because the app offers a variety of content and is free. The variety of reasons participants gave for using Skylight reflect the diverse needs of GenZennials. Compared to older generations, GenZennials have been described as “psychologically vulnerable” due to their poorer mental health and increased maladaptive behaviors (eg, substance use and sleep aids) [ 26 ]. One-third (3465/10,500, 33%) of Gen Z and one-fourth (2730/10,500, 26%) of millennials report that they use social media to discuss and cope with their health issues rather than seeing a physician [ 27 ]. Gen Z are more likely to use digital wellness apps than older generations, as Gen Z are more invested in their wellness [ 14 , 28 ]. Taken together, this generation may benefit from accessible digital tools (ie, apps) that incorporate spiritual self-care to address their diverse wellness needs.

Participants appreciated Skylight’s variety of content (eg, affirmations, prayer, and yoga), allowing them to use the app for multiple purposes, such as relaxation and sleep. Participants mentioned the instances where they used the different content offered through Skylight to address their anxiety, depression, and overall health and wellness. This reflects quantitative findings from a cross-sectional study of 475 GenZennial Skylight users, in which spiritual well-being, overall health, and mental health were the top 3 reasons users downloaded the app [ 19 ]. Offering variety in app content may promote continued use, as research shows that lack of content variability contributes to poor adherence in mindfulness apps [ 29 ]. Offering content variety may allow users to tap into the many facets of their health, thus supporting their long-term use.

Participants appreciated the app’s inclusivity, which made them feel welcomed regardless of their religious backgrounds or beliefs. Other types of digital health apps have been criticized for not providing inclusive content [ 30 , 31 ]. A scoping review of mental health app evaluation frameworks found that only 58% (25/43) of frameworks included a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criterion; ensuring that apps are inclusive of the individuals they represent is important for user satisfaction, engagement, and retention [ 31 ]. GenZennials care deeply about DEI, with 80% (503/603) of Gen Z reporting that it is important for brands or companies to address DEI [ 32 ]. Creating inclusive apps is also crucial for app-based interventions to effectively serve diverse communities [ 31 , 33 ].

Participants also discussed using the app because it is free to download and use. Many mental health apps might be free to download, but there are in-app costs (eg, required to pay to unlock the full version). Costs associated with mobile apps can be a barrier to user retention [ 34 , 35 ]. For instance, studies that have explored user behaviors in mobile apps suggest that in-app costs can contribute to negative user perceptions, while free apps are associated with positive user perceptions [ 36 , 37 ]. In a systematic review of 208 papers, app costs were a barrier to using mental health apps [ 38 ]. Another study on health app use among 1604 adults (18 to 81 years of age) revealed that cost was a significant concern and a primary reason individuals never downloaded a health app or discontinued using a health app [ 39 ]. Over half of GenZennials (ie, 52% of Gen Z and 55% of millennials) report finances as a major factor that negatively impacts their mental health [ 40 ]. Notably, most participants in this study (15/23, 65%) had low socioeconomic status, and more than a quarter (6/23, 26%) were students. This demographic is more inclined to use free mental health apps compared to paid alternatives due to financial constraints as full-time students [ 41 ]. In sum, digital mental health apps with no costs may improve user engagement and retention in GenZennials.

In line with previous evidence [ 9 , 11 , 42 ], most participants reported identifying as solely spiritual when asked if they consider themselves spiritual or religious or both. This study provides further insights into the spiritual identities and practices of GenZennials. Those who were identified as spiritual explained that previous experiences with organized religion led them to adopt a more spiritual identity.

They embraced the fluidity of spirituality as it contradicted the rigidity of religion that they had experienced from their past religious affiliations or from being raised in a religious household. Participants also discussed how spirituality, as opposed to religion, allows them to incorporate different beliefs and practices, which is consistent with the concept of “faith unbundled” [ 10 ]. In a study of 475 GenZennials, over one-third (n=142, 36%) defined spiritual self-care as practices that support their connection to something greater than themselves (ie, higher power, nature, and community) [ 19 ]. Overall, participant reflections are consistent with GenZennials’ tendency to disengage with organized religion and preference to autonomously practice spirituality [ 43 ].

Skylight Relevance to GenZennials

Participants reported that Skylight’s content was relevant to their generation because the content was modern. Participants explained that the app was modern because it is a more “hip” (eg, affirmations) way to have religious and spiritual practices. Compared to older generations, GenZennials are more likely to either abandon the religion they were raised in or never identify with a religion at all [ 43 ]. However, GenZennials draw from a variety of religious and spiritual backgrounds to craft their own spirituality or religion with many who engage in more modern practices [ 44 ]. In a survey with over 10,000 Gen Z, 40% (4110/10,274) were more likely to practice yoga as a spiritual practice than attend a religious service (2569/10,274, 25%) and were more likely to go in nature (4623/10,274, 45%) or meditate (1006/10,274, 39%) than read religious text as their spiritual practice [ 10 ]. This study suggests that a spiritual self-care app with a contemporary approach to spirituality may resonate with GenZennials due to the alignment with their inclination toward modernized spiritual practices.

Participants shared how Skylight’s content was easy to integrate into their daily routines, particularly because the content was short (<3 minutes). Mental health app users prefer apps that support their routines and are more likely to continue using apps that are easier to use [ 45 ] and not time-consuming [ 46 ]. While research suggests mindfulness practices (eg, meditation) may require 10 to 30 minutes to positively impact mental well-being [ 47 , 48 ], user retention is another component that should not be overlooked. Recent research suggests that short but consistent engagement with mobile health apps is associated with improved health behaviors, emphasizing the significance of smaller doses for engagement and improved outcomes [ 49 ]. Increasingly popular practices today include single-session interventions for mental health [ 50 ], 5-minute breath work [ 51 ], and brief meditations [ 52 ]. GenZennials want quick content, and results from this study underscore the importance of delivering brief content in spiritual self-care apps for GenZennial users. Future research should explore the effects of smaller doses of spiritual self-care practices and their impact on spiritual and mental well-being, especially in GenZennials.

Recommendations for Improvement

Participants in this study desired more personalization capabilities in the Skylight app, such as creating their own playlists or having a habit-tracking feature. GenZennial consumers want to see personalization in products [ 53 ]. In an evaluation of 104 mobile mental health apps, which included an analysis of 88,125 user reviews, personalized features (eg, the ability to log activities and set goals) were a primary feature app users favored [ 45 ]. Digital mental health apps with personalization features have demonstrated better adherence than those that do not have personalization capabilities [ 54 ]. A systematic review of digital mental health interventions concluded that machine learning (ie, algorithm-based tailoring) should be leveraged for more personalization of digital mental health services to improve outcomes [ 54 ]. In summary, spiritual self-care apps should include features that allow users to personalize their experience.

Participants discussed wanting the app to be more interactive. Some users desired the ability to chat with others, either through a dedicated chat function or by using a comment section on content, while others desired more interactive content where they could actively engage (ie, pauses for reflection during guided content). These findings align with previous research, where investigators found that app users enjoyed digital mental health interventions with interactive and gamified content in a qualitative synthesis of 41 studies [ 55 ]. Interactive apps are not only desired and favored by users, but they also demonstrate better effectiveness in improving mental health than those that are not interactive. A systematic review of 15 studies found that digital mental health interventions with interactive content and features (ie, multimedia lessons, web-based exercises, and game-based challenges) were more effective in reducing depression symptoms than interventions with no interactive components [ 55 ]. Notably, these results in the review were found among interventions with no human interaction components (ie, live chat with professionals), which are usually resource-intensive (eg, costs) [ 55 ]. Incorporating interactive components into apps may be a cost-effective way to engage and retain users through improving the user experience.

While participants in this study enjoyed the existing content on Skylight, they desired new and more content moving forward. Digital mental health apps must consistently update their content to retain users [ 45 ]. In an analysis of 104 mental health apps, users felt bored and limited if there was not enough content in the app [ 45 ]. However, in a study analyzing 5 million user reviews of mobile health apps, users were frustrated when apps had more content than needed [ 56 ]. Future research is needed to explore how much content is enough to allow users to manage their mental health and well-being while minimizing overwhelm. Participants in this study suggested adding new topics to Skylight content. Suggested topics included, but were not limited to, managing interpersonal relationships, recovery from drug and alcohol use, and parenting. This is unsurprising considering that these are related to the common areas of concern for GenZennials [ 57 ]. An analysis of 41 qualitative studies showed that users using a mental health app preferred and liked when the app content was relatable to situations they were going through [ 55 ]. Developers of mental health apps specific to GenZennials should consider delivering content that is relatable to GenZennials’ daily tasks, relationships, and situations.

When discussing how Skylight was relevant to their generation, GenZennials in this study made recommendations for improved representation. Participants suggested adding more male creators and more representation of different cultures and languages. Male individuals are less likely to use well-being apps compared to female individuals [ 58 ]. However, the reasons behind this lower use remain uncertain—it could stem from general disinterest among males in wellness apps, insufficient male representation in app content and marketing, or a lack of customization catering to male individuals’ needs. On the contrary, in a recent cross-sectional survey that explored perceptions of the Skylight app and self-reported mental health, almost half of the participants were male [ 19 ]. Qualitative health research has a persistent gender bias, with a higher participation rate of female individuals compared to male individuals, partially due to challenges in recruiting male individuals for health studies [ 59 ].

Participants in this study also recommended offering more languages and incorporating more cultures in the app. GenZennials are more racially or ethnically diverse than older generations [ 60 ]. Spiritual self-care mobile apps need to be designed with and informed by individuals from a variety of cultural and racial or ethnic backgrounds. These are concerns that are not exclusive to spiritual self-care apps. In fact, digital health apps as a whole lack effectiveness in reaching those from varied cultural backgrounds [ 33 , 61 ]. Current mobile mental health app evaluation frameworks lack consideration of DEI criterion in their framework [ 31 ]. There is a significant need for improvement in the development and design of digital mental health apps to ensure they accurately represent and cater to target populations.

Limitations

This study is not without limitations. First, eligibility criteria did not specify a minimum app use duration, and we did not gather data on use time. This may have limited insights, as participants likely varied in their frequency and extent of app use. Second, our sample was majority female and White, which limits the generalizability of our findings. Female individuals are more likely than male individuals to use well-being apps [ 58 ], and this was reflected in the sample of our study. Female individuals who use Skylight may have different motivations for using Skylight than male individuals and engage with the content differently. However, this does not indicate that male individuals are not using the app [ 19 ]. In addition, the sample was majority White, which limits our understanding on how individuals from other racial and ethnic backgrounds engage with Skylight’s content and perceive the inclusivity of the app. Nonetheless, our findings still shed light on the perspectives and experiences of GenZennial users of a spiritual self-care app, particularly among those from low socioeconomic backgrounds as more than two-thirds (15/23, 65%) of our sample had an annual income less than US $50,000. Third, qualitative research is subject to biases in analyzing and interpreting data. However, data were analyzed by 2 researchers who practiced reflexivity (ie, discussed potential biases throughout the study and analyses).

Future Research

Our findings shed light on future research necessary ( Textbox 1 ) to fill knowledge gaps related to improving spiritual and mental well-being in GenZennials using a mobile app.

Summary of key findings and future directions for research.

GenZennials use a spiritual self-care app for various health and wellness needs

• Explore the effects of using a spiritual self-care app for multiple wellness needs on GenZennial mental health outcomes.
• Determine the effect of content relevance to GenZennial problems (ie, substance use) on retention or engagement.

GenZennials appreciate inclusive content in a spiritual self-care app

• Determine the effects of inclusive app content on user engagement across GenZennial demographics (eg, racial or ethnic diversity of app users).

GenZennials primarily use a spiritual self-care app because it is free

• Examine the effects of offering spiritual self-care app free of cost on user engagement and retention in GenZennials.

GenZennials mainly identify as solely spiritual

• Determine the acceptability and usability of a spiritual self-care app among GenZennials who identify as religious.

GenZennials explained the spiritual self-care app was relevant to their generation because the content was short

• Explore the effects of smaller doses of spiritual self-care practices and their impact on spiritual and mental well-being in GenZennials.

GenZennials suggest increasing male representation in the app, and few males participated in this study

• Recruit more GenZennial male individuals to gather their insights and feedback on spiritual self-care apps.
• Explore quantitative data to confirm usage patterns among male individuals since male individuals are difficult to recruit and may not reflect the number of male app users [ 58 ].

GenZennials suggest adding more interactive features to a spiritual self-care app

• Examine the effects of interactive components (eg, anonymous chat groups, playlists with favorite content, and pauses for reflection) in a spiritual self-care app on GenZennial spiritual and mental well-being outcomes.

This is the first study to explore how GenZennials view a spiritual self-care app for enhancing their spiritual and mental well-being, offering important insights into GenZennials’ spiritual identities and the relevance of these apps to their generation. This study also provides GenZennials’ recommendations for improving a spiritual self-care app design and features. These findings may also guide future mental health app developers seeking to create spiritual products and content tailored to GenZennials. Interviews with GenZennial Skylight app users revealed that they used the app for various reasons related to their overall health and wellness. Users appreciated the variety of content in the app, and several users cited the app’s completely free access as their primary reason for using it. Considering most participants were from low socioeconomic backgrounds, our findings underscore the value of providing a free and accessible spiritual self-care app for GenZennials. The inclusivity of the app was another notable feature users mentioned when describing what they enjoyed about the Skylight app. Consistent with the GenZennial population, most participants identified as solely spiritual. Our findings should inform the future creation and improvement of spiritual self-care apps aimed at cultivating GenZennials’ spiritual and mental well-being.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Clare Beatty for supporting the writing of this paper. The authors also thank Justin Jones and Matthew Carlson for their constant encouragement and intellectual contributions to this project.

Abbreviations

Multimedia appendix 1.

Conflicts of Interest: SYP is currently the Behavioral Research Scientist for the Radiant Foundation. JH is the chief science officer for the Radiant Foundation’s Skylight app. JH was hired by the Radiant Foundation to lead scientific strategy and mentor the scientist for Skylight, but JH does not receive incentives for the outcomes of the research. JY and KLM are employees of JH and are independent of the Radiant Foundation leadership. SYP and JH’s role is to ensure the quality of science regarding the Skylight app. The authors do not have stock in Skylight and receive no financial incentives from the sales of Skylight. The authors do not receive any financial benefit from the outcomes of this study.

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The New Generation Z in Asia: Dynamics, Differences, Digitalisation

ISBN : 978-1-80043-221-5 , eISBN : 978-1-80043-220-8

Publication date: 23 October 2020

Generation Z, including individuals born from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, is said to be different from other generations before. Generation Z is said to be the generation of digital natives, with multiple identities; a worried and creative generation who value collaborative consumption; and a generation looking forward. The authors present here tentative observations of Generation Z in Asia using theoretical approaches and scientific backgrounds: the authors show how socialisation theory (parents and peer group) and technology (relationship with smartphones) offer meaningful perspectives to understand Generation Z behaviours in Asia. Finally, the authors ask some key questions about dealing with Generation Z in Asia in the field of smartphone use, consumer behaviour (shopping orientation), collaborative consumption (sharing), and work context.

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• Digital natives, Asia

Gentina, E. (2020), "Generation Z in Asia: A Research Agenda", Gentina, E. and Parry, E. (Ed.) The New Generation Z in Asia: Dynamics, Differences, Digitalisation ( The Changing Context of Managing People ), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-220-820201002

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Gen Z Takes on Mental Health

I wanted to know what gen z teens thought about mental health. so i asked one..

Updated May 31, 2024 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer

• What Is Depression?
• Find a therapist to overcome depression
• According to the CDC, 37% of Gen Z teens feel persistently sad or hopeless.
• Telling teens things like "there are people in this world with bigger issues" makes them feel worse.
• When teens feel hopeless, it's important to help them remember that depression is not permanent.

In an article published just before COVID, the Economist reported that most of the research about Gen Z (born between the late '90s and early 2010s) suggests that the kids of this generation are less hedonistic and better behaved but lonelier than their counterparts who came before. In 2019 — just before the COVID pandemic — the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reported statistically significant increases in adolescent suicide, and the percentage of teens experiencing persistent sadness or hopelessness (from 26% in 2009 to 37% in 2019). Then the pandemic hit. The most vulnerable of these kids, those at the tail end of Gen Z, are now in high school after having survived (but also having their world transformed by) the pandemic.

High school can be an emotional roller coaster for teens, even under normal conditions. As such, mental health clinicians working with teens — like my colleagues and I — have wondered for a few years now how the post-pandemic high school years would unfold for the teens of Gen Z: a generation, I've argued, that resembles a Tesla, with its penchant for technological sophistication but also a sensitivity to the bumps on the road of life.

Alyssa Soldinger, a 14-year-old freshman at a suburban NY high school, recently won an essay contest describing the mental health challenges of today's Gen Z teens. Alyssa accepted my request for an interview to discuss these mental health challenges.

John G. Cottone: Alyssa, in your paper you cited the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, reporting that 37% of students your age feel persistently sad or hopeless (Ivey-Stephenson et al., 2019). Why do you think that's the case?

Alyssa: Many teens are afraid to speak up or are unsure where to find a safe space. Some would like to seek therapy but only about 12% of kids actually do (according to the CDC). Many teens fight this inner battle alone because the world tells them that their problems are "insignificant," that "it's all in your head," and that "there are people in this world with bigger issues."

JGC: Well said, Alyssa. In a previous post , I advised parents, as well as friends and family members of those who are struggling with mental health issues that they would be better served by just sitting and listening to the person in their life that's struggling, rather than risk invalidating them by giving them advice or perspective. What does it feel like as a teen when a parent, teacher or other adult says one of the things you mentioned above, like "there are people in the world with bigger issues"?

A: It only makes us feel smaller than we already do. Telling an adult that you're struggling emotionally suddenly makes the problem real, and when they respond in an invalidating way like I said before, it makes you feel like something is truly wrong with you, like you're a sad monster that no one wants to be around. Then hiding becomes teens' only option because why would they want to face this feeling?

JGC: In your opinion, why do you think teens respond in this way when the adults in their lives are just trying to help?

A: Teens are extremely self-conscious and typically rely on peers for validation. When we're being bullied, adults tell us not to care about what others think, but it's not that simple. Adults are less self-conscious because they can choose who they are surrounding themselves with.

I think adults forget that they themselves are not forced to stay in toxic situations like teens are. If adults are uncomfortable with a co-worker, they can leave that job or avoid that person. If someone despises them, they can get in their car and drive away. Kids don't have this option. Kids do not have these freedoms. Adults are financially independent. But kids and teens always have to go through a parent or guardian for everything they want. And even if they can run away, they won't get far.

JGC: From your perspective, what's depression like for today's teens?

A: Mental health issues (like loneliness ) and social problems (like being bullied), can each lead to depression. And depression can be experienced as emotional or emotionless. The feelings that are felt aren't joyful emotions; they have a weight that is incomprehensible to those that haven't experienced them. Most days with depression are filled with emptiness, with a side of anger and sadness.

Depression feels like you can't escape; that's why it's so common among teenagers . There's constant pressure to be stronger, faster, prettier, smarter. Your peers all seem perfect.

Teenagers can't escape. They're stuck in school. They always have to answer to authority. They always need to justify themselves.

JGC: Why do you think some teens feel helpless at times, even suicidal ?

A: When we're struggling in school we're told that going to school is a privilege, but when you're a teenager, it doesn't feel like that. You think about the big picture and the fact that in 100 years you'll be dead, and no one is going to remember you anyway, and it makes you feel like life is meaningless: So why even try?

This is what's going on in a teenager's head when she feels unimportant, or suicidal.

JGC: Do you have any advice for teens who may be feeling hopeless or suicidal?

A: In our healthy moments, we know that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem, but when you're very emotional about something, feeling unimportant, invalidated, and hopeless, your mind can trick you into thinking that depression is permanent and will never get better, and suicide can seem like the only option. Try to remember that when your mind is playing tricks on you it will seem like suicide is the only way out, but it's not true.

It's important for teens to see that there are always ways to overcome obstacles — big or small. Whether it's getting tutoring, individual counseling, family therapy, joining a club to get more socialization, or immersing yourself in a new interest, there's always a solution, there's always a way to get around the roadblocks that are currently in your way. You are the only thing preventing yourself from improving and becoming better.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7 dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.

Ivey-Stephenson AZ ,Demissie Z , Crosby AE , et al. (2019). Suicidal Ideation and Behaviors Among High School Students - Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States. MMWR Suppl 2020;69:47–55. doi:10.15585/mmwr.su6901a6 pmid: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32817610

John G. Cottone, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, and the author of Who Are You?

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At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

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37 Generation Z Statistics Exploring Their Beliefs In 2024

June 6, 2024

by Sagar Joshi

In this post

Key generation z statistics, generation z beliefs and concerns, gen z and social media, generation z in the workforce, other interesting insights into gen z.

People born between the late 1990s and early 2010s represent Generation Z (or Gen Z), which is between millennials and Generation Alpha. 

The youngest members of this generation are in middle school, while the oldest members will be entering the workforce and starting families in 2024. 

They have some unique attributes.This article looks at their beliefs, relationships with social networks , and perceptions of the professional world through a statistical lens. 

Generation Z is more interested in Instagram and TikTok than other social media platforms. Here are a few important statistics you should look at to understand Gen Z's preferences. 

• Over one-third of social media influencers are Gen Zs.
• 68.6 million Gen Zs live in the United States. They make up 20% of the population. 
• Over half of North American Gen Z adults are enrolled in college.
• 38% of Gen Zs have entered the workforce, while 51% are still students.

of Gen Zs use Instagram at least once per day.

Source: Analytics Steps

• Gen Z’s greatest fear is climate change, with 44% expressing concern.
• Gen Z is more likely to receive therapy or mental health treatment than any other generation. 42% feel depressed or hopeless.
• In 2019, 44% lived with a parent who had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 33% of Millennials in 2003.
• 40% of Gen Zs plan to leave their job within the next two years.
• Gen Z will become the first majority non-white generation in the US by 2026.
• Only 11% of Gen Zs are married or have children.
• 10% of eligible voters in the 2020 election were Gen Z.

These stats talk about what affects Gen Z and what influences them to make decisions. The stats below clearly show that Gen Zs are strongly inclined toward sustainable living. 

At the same time, their mental health issues are concerning to see, but data says Gen Zs are most likely to seek psychological treatment. 

• 55% of Generation Z are highly concerned about environmental issues. 71% have bought pre-owned clothing. 
• About one-third of Gen Zs engaged in political activism in 2020, an increase of 9% from 2019. It should be noted that drastic race relation struggles combined with the COVID-19 had a non-quantifiable effect on activism across generations.
• 1 in 5 Gen Z high school students have seriously considered suicide. 15.7% have made a suicide plan, and 8.9% have attempted suicide.

of Gen Z people recycle regularly, and 62% prefer buying from eco-friendly brands.

Source: Forbes

• About 3 in 5 Gen Zs report feeling nervous or anxious. 
• 45% of Gen Zs describe their mental health as excellent or very good.
• Gen Z is the most likely age group to seek mental health treatment, with 37% having done so.
• Most Gen Zs don’t believe life will get better for future generations. 43% are optimistic, 32% think it will worsen, and 25% believe it will stay the same.

These statistics demonstrate Gen Zs preferences when it comes to social networks. A decent share of this group influences people through social media platforms, earning a sizable revenue through sponsored posts. 

Let’s get deeper insights into their relationship with social media and critical preferences. 

• About 2 in 3 Gen Zs use Instagram daily. Whatsapp is used by 59%, and Facebook by 45% daily.
• Gen Z prefers Instagram over TikTok for most activities. They use Instagram more for posting content, product research, and messaging.

of Gen Zs have taken a break from social media for at least 24 hours.

• Over one-third of social media influencers are Gen Zs. They command the highest fees for sponsored posts.

Generation Z has clear expectations regarding the workplace. They’re primarily centered on work-life balance and good workplace culture. The work environment – hybrid or remote – also influences their decisions about choosing which companies to work with. 

• 38% of Gen Zs have entered the workforce, while 51% are still students. Only 11% are married or have children.
• 3 in 10 Gen Zs feel financially insecure. 46% live paycheck to paycheck, and 26% doubt they will save enough for retirement.

of Gen Zs prioritize work-life balance when choosing an employer. Other factors include learning opportunities, high salaries, positive workplace culture, and career advancement.

Source: Deloitte

• 3 in 4 Gen Zs prefer hybrid or remote work arrangements. 63% want a hybrid work environment, while 12% prefer working remotely.
• 1 in 5 Gen Zs aim to be financially independent by age 30. Other top goals include having a fulfilling career and being surrounded by friends and family.

These statistics discuss some exciting choices that Gen Zs make in their lives. They will help you understand this group better. 

• Almost one-third of Gen Zs worry about the cost of living.
• 98% of Gen Z individuals own a smartphone.
• 73% of Gen Z individuals watch video content on smartphones.

of Gen Z women bought beauty products online in 2023.

Source: Statista

• 64% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for environmentally-friendly products.
• 54% of Gen Z hold some kind of investment.
• Pew Research
• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• American Psychological Association (APA)

Stay on target

These statistics help us understand Generation Z and discover their likes and dislikes. If you’re trying to target them with a marketing campaign or product, align your decisions with their choices to personalize the content better. 

Learn more about mobile social networks you can use to target Generation Z in your marketing or product strategy.

Bet on Gen Z!

Find the best social networks platforms to share data and connect with one another, often in a public forum.

Sagar Joshi is a former content marketing specialist at G2 in India. He is an engineer with a keen interest in data analytics and cybersecurity. He writes about topics related to them. You can find him reading books, learning a new language, or playing pool in his free time.

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Which social media platforms are most common, who uses each social media platform, find out more, social media fact sheet.

Many Americans use social media to connect with one another, engage with news content, share information and entertain themselves. Explore the patterns and trends shaping the social media landscape.

To better understand Americans’ social media use, Pew Research Center surveyed 5,733 U.S. adults from May 19 to Sept. 5, 2023. Ipsos conducted this National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS) for the Center using address-based sampling and a multimode protocol that included both web and mail. This way nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race and ethnicity, education and other categories.

Polls from 2000 to 2021 were conducted via phone. For more on this mode shift, read our Q&A.

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and  its methodology ­­­.

A note on terminology: Our May-September 2023 survey was already in the field when Twitter changed its name to “X.” The terms  Twitter  and  X  are both used in this report to refer to the same platform.

YouTube and Facebook are the most-widely used online platforms. About half of U.S. adults say they use Instagram, and smaller shares use sites or apps such as TikTok, LinkedIn, Twitter (X) and BeReal.

Note: The vertical line indicates a change in mode. Polls from 2012-2021 were conducted via phone. In 2023, the poll was conducted via web and mail. For more details on this shift, please read our Q&A . Refer to the topline for more information on how question wording varied over the years. Pre-2018 data is not available for YouTube, Snapchat or WhatsApp; pre-2019 data is not available for Reddit; pre-2021 data is not available for TikTok; pre-2023 data is not available for BeReal. Respondents who did not give an answer are not shown.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted 2012-2023.

Usage of the major online platforms varies by factors such as age, gender and level of formal education.

% of U.S. adults who say they ever use __ by …

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This fact sheet was compiled by Research Assistant  Olivia Sidoti , with help from Research Analyst  Risa Gelles-Watnick , Research Analyst  Michelle Faverio , Digital Producer  Sara Atske , Associate Information Graphics Designer Kaitlyn Radde and Temporary Researcher  Eugenie Park .

Follow these links for more in-depth analysis of the impact of social media on American life.

• Americans’ Social Media Use  Jan. 31, 2024
• Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband  Jan. 31 2024
• Q&A: How and why we’re changing the way we study tech adoption  Jan. 31, 2024

Find more reports and blog posts related to  internet and technology .

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Trump fired his boss in 2020. Now, this Gen Z candidate is up against a fake elector

Ashwin Ramaswami, 24, was an intern in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency when former President Donald Trump fired his boss in late 2020 for publicly disputing Trump's claims of voter fraud in the election.

Now, Ramaswami, a Democrat, is running for Georgia state Senate in District 48 against Shawn Still, the Republican incumbent − and a Trump ally who was indicted last year for allegedly posing as a fake elector to try and overturn the 2020 election.

The Indian American Gen Z candidate, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary Tuesday, launched his campaign last year, telling USA TODAY in an interview that protecting the legitimacy of election results and a person's right to their vote is what inspired him to run in his home state of Georgia, where Trump has been indicted by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on allegations that he tried to wipe out Biden's victory in the state through the use of fake electors and by pressuring state officials.

“The message…is this idea of the next generation of folks taking stuff into their own hands and really saying that we will stand up for integrity and honesty in politics in a way that too often a lot of people running for office don’t really do,” Ramaswami said.

And he believes he has a shot to take Still out of office by vigorously campaigning on the message of saving a democracy in peril because of Trump - among other issues - and gathering up a broad coalition of voters to support him in the coming months. 

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Ramaswami’s campaign has vastly outraised Still’s in the latest filing period between Feb. 1 and April 30, with Ramaswami raising $146,442 and Still raising only $6,400. Since he launched his campaign in December of last year, Ramaswami raised over $282,000, with only $8,066 of that being self-funded. 

But Ramaswami as a first-time political candidate faces challenges if he wants to defeat his opponent, including appealing to voters in a district that has been redrawn to favor Republicans, political science experts said. 

Election integrity, democracy at the forefront of this fight

Though Ramaswami is stumping on other issues, such as the economy and healthcare, at the core of his fight against Still is preserving election integrity. 

A poll conducted by Marist College between March 11 and March 14 among 1,283 Georgia adults ages 18 and older found that 25% of respondents say preserving democracy is their top issue when thinking about casting a ballot in November, followed by 24% citing immigration, 24% mentioning inflation and 10% saying healthcare. Eight percent of respondents chose abortion as their top issue while 7% chose crime and 1% are unsure.

The poll also found that 69% of Georgia adults are confident or very confident that their state or local government will run a fair and accurate election, with 30% not very confident or not confident at all.

“It’s important for our representatives to respect our vote,” said Ramaswami. “What Shawn Still did and what the fake electors did undermined the power of all Georgians.” 

Ramaswami previously served as an intern and later part-time paid employee at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, where he worked under former director Christopher Krebs and helped states find and fix vulnerabilities in election systems. His research on the role of technology and social media in the spread of election misinformation has also been published in several papers.

He decided to run against Still after the Georgia lawmaker was indicted last year by a grand jury for allegedly signing a certificate falsely declaring that Trump won the state of Georgia in the 2020 election and acting as a "duly elected and qualified" presidential elector.

Still was charged with seven counts, including violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act which targets people engaged in organized crime. 

Still has pleaded not guilty. The case has yet to go to trial. His legal team has argued that the state has no "authority or jurisdiction" to prosecute Still for his "actions as a contingent presidential elector" and that the indictment violates his First Amendment rights. They even moved to quash the indictment last year.

USA TODAY reached out to Still for an interview request, but did not immediately receive a response.

Does Ramaswami have a chance against Still?

As a political newcomer, the path for Ramaswami to defeat Still might be tough.

“Given his youth, this may be more of a dry run for the future,” said Carl Cavalli, a professor of political science at the University of North Georgia. 

Still, according to his website, has authored and sponsored more than 100 pieces of legislation. He’s also serving as the vice chairman of the state and local governmental operations Senate committee and the secretary of the natural resources and environment Senate committee. 

In his second term, Still hopes to tackle immigration reform, environmental legislation, workforce development, tightening up election integrity laws and other issues, according to a statement on his website.

But Ramaswami believes that he can bring new perspective to the state legislature, arguing that “I do want to focus on a lot of issues…whether it’s more access to education, expanding access to health care, reproductive rights - all the things which the Republican majority in the Georgia State Senate kind of isn’t really working on."

He added that Democratic Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff's team has been helpful for advice and connecting him with folks who can support his campaign. Ossoff gained national attention as the youngest sitting senator since 2021 and could serve as a role model for Ramaswami.

The makeup of District 48 is another challenge. David Shafer, an indicted Trump ally and former Georgia GOP chair, held the District 48 state senate seat from 2002 to 2019. Two Democrats held the seat after: Zahra Karinshak and Michelle Au. 

However, the district was redrawn after the 2020 election which made it more heavily favor Republicans, said Charles S. Bullock II, a professor of political science at the University of Georgia. After redistricting, Still won the seat in the 2022 midterms by 13% against his Democratic opponent at the time, Josh Uddin.

"Ramaswami is facing an uphill battle in a Republican area," said Cavalli.

But though the physical outline of the district remains the same this year as Ramaswami competes against Still, Bullock said that what Democrats are hoping could give them an upper hand is the demographic change in the district that has been taking place over the years as an influx of diverse groups move in the area.

For instance, the southernmost precincts in the district are voting Democratic as a growing Indian population moves into south Forsyth County, he said. And a key constituency in the district is college educated White voters who are less likely to accept Republican claims that the 2020 election was stolen, he added.

“Bottom line: Ramaswami has a chance in November,” Bullock said.

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