Global Generation Z 2021 (Google Slides)
Global Generation Z 2021 (PDF download)
With the send-off of the Class of 2020 to college in all its forms — in-person, hybrid and Zoom, we have launched the first round of children who have never known a world prior to 9/11. They’ve grown up with worried and questioning parents on all ends of the political spectrum. And just when they are about to break out on their own, COVID-19 brings their senior year to a screeching halt, making their entry into adulthood one of trepidation. Every social misstep is a landmine to set them back and keeps their slightly older Gen Z counterparts in suspended animation. To know them, we need to understand that within Gen Z lives a breadth of archetypes underscored by a foundational commonality.
Concepts of grit, resilience and resourcefulness come up during conversations centered around Generation Z. Without question, the pandemic has strengthened their sense of responsibility, both within their local communities and globally. Yet, a June 2020 CDC study reports that presently 74.9% of 18–24 year olds in the US have more than one adverse mental or behavioral health symptoms. These two states of affair existing simultaneously are counterproductive for the success of Generation Z. The Silent Generation lived through their years of crises but were given hope coming out of World War II. Generation Z, however, is halted in their tracks when they should be able to soar. This time of growth is fraught with tension on normal pre-Covid days. The sustained suspension they have now is not easy to endure. The meaning of all this needs to be unraveled quickly. The normalizing of virtual relationships of all kinds already has begun to take hold out of necessity.
Trend Themes: Sense of agency, Quest for Allies, Bandwidth Pitfalls, Meaningful Human Skill, Climate Change Dread, Meaningful Policy, Womenonmics, Relentless Tension
Country Clusters: Cluster One (Traditional) USA/UK/France/Japan, Cluster Two (Cautious) China/India/Mexico/South Korea, Cluster Three (Constrained) Turkey/Russia/Philippines, Nigeria Cluster Four (Introspective) Venezuela/Iran
Residual Trends: Age Restrictions, Teen Networks, Shifting Sport Engagement; Dominant Trends: Community Building, Aligning Reality, Social Responsibility; Emergent Trends: Aware and Advocating, Cultural Movements, Food Security; Disruptive Trends: Women Normalizing Sport, Digital Coping, Music as Diplomacy
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