Hello everyone and welcome to our newsletter on all things Gen Z.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

This is edition Number 50 - 🎂 Happy Newsletter Birthday to us and you, our growing community. We love what we do - eschewing cliches about workshy snowflakes and culture war warriors, and getting to the truth about the major demographic shift that is changing the way we all live and work.

If you want to understand the 21st century from the age perspective - you need to be with Get to Know.

This has always been about partnership. The experience and passions of Gen X and Millennials, and how they can be aligned with the experience and passions of Gen Z and, increasingly, Gen Alpha. For us, one of the most empowering phrases of 2023 was intergenerational sympathy - the idea that it is only by working together that we can take advantage of this new age where the binary conversation of work/life balance (as if they are different things) is being superseded by the work/life circle.

There is certainly a lot of noise in this debate and you cannot move for the latest survey klaxoning that Gen Z do this or Gen Z do that. We are here to cut through and bring you the very best intelligence.

Like this - the Next Gen News report by FT Strategies which surveyed many young people and explored the work we do here at TNM to define how audiences are consuming information and what makes the most impact.

It even reveals why the daughter of one us 👴🏽 follows certain news accounts.

For this special edition of the newsletter we’ve pulled together the five core themes that will dominate developments in 2024 and beyond.

We hope you enjoy them, and see you next week.

Mental Health

Is the reported rise in mental illness among under-25s down to more awareness and less stigma – or is something truly amiss with young people? The Guardian investigates, with the help of therapists, academics and survivors. The answers are not straightforward - the contributors cite a range of factors, from timeless issues like grief and money, to contemporary issues like social media. It’s worth reading the case studies in full. Some of the most enlightening bits are in the signs (both clear and hidden) that help is needed and what people expect from their support systems.

Gender

Friday was International Women’s Day, which means a slew of new studies on gender have been published. A new global report carried out in 31 countries by Ipsos in collaboration with the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London has found that, despite the stereotype of Millennials and Gen Z being “woke”, younger generations are more conservative on the issue of gender equality. Some key stats: 

• Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to agree that a man who stays at home to look after his children is less of a man (25%, 27% respectively) than Gen X (20%) and Baby Boomers (11%)

• There is a 20-percentage point difference between Gen Z men (60%) and Gen Z women (40%) when it comes to being sympathetic to the argument that women’s equality discriminates against men

• 51% of people across 30 countries believe men are being expected to do too much to promote equality and less than 40% identify themselves as feminists

Read the full study here - the nuance matters.

Socialising

Of course young people prioritise socialising and making friends, but they are broadening their horizons beyond pubs and clubs (a trend backed by the recent news that nightclubs are closing at record rates in the UK). So what’s plugging the gap? Interest-based clubs, like book clubs and running groups, are on the rise. Solidifying relationships and building new ones around a common interest seems like a stronger base than relying on boozing, which we know Gen Z are less keen on than previous generations.

That’s not to say the two can’t go together.

Finances

If there’s one thing we keep seeing in the world of Gen Z and money, it’s new terminology to describe their circumstances. Recent ones include ‘loud budgeting’ (proudly exercising frugality and not bending to pressure to spend more), ‘doom spending’ (spending on luxuries you can’t really afford) and ‘money dysmorphia’ (having a flawed perception of your finances). This article unravels why this generation is turning to new phrases - and it’s less about mining for content opportunities, and more about a broader anxiety around finances. Let’s not forget, this generation came of age in the pandemic and have had the word “recession” thrown at them ever since.

And finally - Ambition

38%

…of Gen Zers are interested in becoming a manager at their current organisation, and 62% would prefer to stay as individual contributors. Only 37% say they are interested in their boss’s job someday, with 91% citing reasons such as stress, pressure and working longer hours.

How can we help?

In my many travels and conversations, I’m increasingly talking to CEOs, executives and civil society leaders wanting to better understand the next generation of consumers and the next generation of employees. Gen Z is putting pressure on us all to transform in fascinating ways, and many of us are asking questions about how to cater for younger workers and future proof our organisations.

If this sounds like you, we’d be keen to have a chat and see if TNM can help. From our own content production to work we have done, for example, with The Oliver Wyman Forum, we have a raft of insights and data which can support you. We work closely with a number of global organisations – helping with high-impact story-telling, digital media, internal communications, through to employee benefits, HR and working structures.

Email me direct and all of us at TNM look forward to speaking further.

Kamal Ahmed
Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder
The News Movement

Our Top 5 News List

Our biggest hitters - well, it is our birthday