Coping with Constant Change

Between pandemic disruption and climate chaos, research suggests that continual upheaval is having a significant impact on young people’s personalities, including delaying maturity. Rather than feel defeated, however, today’s emerging adults have a solutions-oriented outlook, and want brands to help them improve themselves and the world.

Education for Emerging Professionals

Globally, 49% of Gen Z agree work is central to their identity, leading their academic and professional decisions to become ever more fraught with anxiety (Deloitte, 2023). From vocational training to romanticised corporate routines and self-led career paths, we examine how education and new job discovery tools can support next-gen professional trajectories.

Youth Romance Redux

Although 83% of British Gen Zers feel pressure to achieve traditional life milestones like marriage and having kids (Relate, 2022), they’re not upholding relationship norms. Young people are bending courtship conventions to suit their needs, embracing in-person dates while questioning the value of labelling relationships.

Navigating New Economic Realities

Globally, the rising cost of living is Gen Z’s top concern, outpacing fears around unemployment and climate change (Deloitte, 2023). This has knock-on effects for their friendships, independence and spending habits that could shape young consumers’ long-term relationships with money.

Refining Digital Native Tendencies

Digital living may have provided a lifeline during the pandemic (see Decoding Young Adulthood), but overreliance on technology is causing Gen Zers undue stress. While researchers untangle how social media and smartphones are impacting youth wellbeing, young people are seeking their own strategies to rewire their digital lives for productivity and connection.