Ipsos MORI publishes a fascinating new report on Generation Z, specifically the 5-15 year-old age group: Beyond Binary – the lives and choices of Generation Z.

It summarises seven findings:

1. Increasingly fluid – “What we mean is that things are more open, less set, because people do have more ways to connect, see and experience more things.”
2. No turning point on trust – “Our new analysis shows no real differences in levels of trust among the young with regards to all sorts of traditional institutions.”
3. Just as caring – “But this does not mean that Gen Z are a cohort of activists.
   Neither are they selfish snowflakes, too busy watching YouTube videos of people eating Tide Pods. The evidence suggests they are just as active in social causes as previous generations, sometimes in different ways (using technology), but just as often in traditional ways, such as volunteering.”
4. Inflection point on health – On obesity: “it’s not getting better either. A lot of this is arguably to do with the environment around young people which is shaped to make it harder to keep a healthy weight – the people they see, the shops they shop at, the food they have available, all create a social norm, and are often geared to make them fat.”
5. Importance of digital skills – “In some ways, Generation Z already have an
   innate advantage over other generations, just through growing up fully integrated with technology – they are much more discerning of online sources than Millennial children ever were.”
6. Danger is different – “Generation Z are not the teenage rebels of ages past. Generational declines in youth crime, smoking, drinking and sexual activity reflect a significant behavioural shift.”
7. And digital is double-edged – “There is a growing body of evidence of the downsides from unfettered use of technology, prompting more strident statements from politicians and officials, including the head of the NHS in the UK. Social media use has correlations with anxiety, bullying, peer pressure, lower self-esteem, alongside much more positive outcomes.
   We’re only in the infancy of understanding the full impact.”

Also, some fascinating data points (in no particular order):

• In 25 EU countries, the number of young people detained by the police dropped by 42% between 2008 and 2014.
• In the US in 2015, 22% of high schoolers had been in a physical fight that year compared with 36% in 1999.
• 66% of Generation Z think of themselves as exclusively heterosexual
  compared with 71% of Millennials, 85% of Gen X and 88% of Baby Boomers.
• Just 30% of teenagers feel the things they own say a lot about how well they are doing in life, compared with 42% in 2011.
• Only 39% of teens prefer to buy gender-specific shoes, compared with
  57% of Millennials.
• 40% of 12-15 year olds in 2010, felt that things they saw on social media were either entirely or mostly true; just 24% of Gen Z 12-15 year olds think that now.

The full report is here.

The Register has a (typically styled) summary here.

Photo by David Calderón on Unsplash