Does Gen Z believe in love? (2023)

What does Gen Z think about relationships?

Research has shown that Gen Z's attitudes towards dating and sex have evolved from the generations before them; they take an especially pragmatic approach to love and sex, and subsequently aren't prioritising establishing committed romantic relationships the same way their older peers once did.

A report from OCAD University revealed that 73% of Gen Z believe they need more self-expression to live a happy, healthy life. Before social media, a person expressed themselves by how they dressed, how they wore their hair, where they worked, the car they drove and the music they listened to, among other things.

Eighty percent of Gen Z wants to get married at some point. Getting hitched is just no longer the nucleus of life. They see the historic problems within the institution and are ballsy enough the try and fix them—in their own way, of course.

Gen Z are “slow dating” before they even date casually

Considering 52% of 18-24-year-olds say they use dating apps for fun, or just to pass the time, it's not too surprising they aren't in a rush to get to an in-person date.

Only 37% of Gen Z fell into the loyalist category, defined as those who bought a product from the same brand they were considering at the start of the shopping journey. This is quite different from the 56% of boomers who did so. We found a steady decline in loyalty with each generation.

While 83 percent of people born between 1928 and 1945 (dubbed “the Silent Generation”) were married by age 37, researchers predict that Gen Z - born between 1997 and 2012 - are marrying far less.

Art and Music / Playing an instrument are top hobbies for Gen Z and Millennials that are included in both their top five rankings.

1. Compensation that affords work-life balance (and pay transparency is key) Cost of living, remote work opportunities, and industry hubs play into applicants' decisions. Gen Z is not just optimizing for the best job—they're looking for work-life benefits that come from more affordable living, too.

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 ...

An overview of Millennial and Gen Z dating statistics

75% of Gen Z are single. 44% of millennials are married.

What is Gen Z loyal to?

Gen Z values experiences, charitable donations, “money can't buy” rewards, and partnership perks more than other generations. According to the For Love or Money™ 2022 customer research conducted by The Point of Loyalty, members of Gen Z (49%) are significantly less focused on financial rewards.

One in four Gen Z respondents reported feeling more emotionally distressed (25 percent), almost double the levels reported by millennial and Gen X respondents (13 percent each), and more than triple the levels reported by baby boomer respondents (8 percent).

“…in an instant, you are dating someone, they're your loyal partner and the “L” word is going to fall out of your mouth at any moment.

But while multiple channels are important, one communication mode rises above the rest: texting over talking. In a LivePerson survey investigating the “digital lives of Millennials and Gen Z,” nearly 75 percent of respondents told researchers that they're rather text than talk on the phone.

For marketers, it is important to remember that Alphas are likely to be even more tech-savvy and deeply absorbed in the virtual world than their Gen Z predecessors, while demanding even more personalisation and interactivity in their brand engagements. This applies to in-person events as much as online ones.

Interestingly, Gen Z identified as the most loyal generational cohort to a brand whose loyalty program they are a member of. I call them the 'loyalZy' generation.”

Inflation is the top problem Gen Z and Millennials name as the biggest they are facing today. Over-dependence and addiction to technology ranked second as the top problem among young people for the first time. However, racism and COVID-19 are still top concerns for these gens.

Known for being creative, inclusive and tech-savvy, this generation likes a hands-on approach to learning and places a high importance on education. According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z is the least likely to drop out of high school and the most likely to go to college, compared with older generations.

Social media is a huge trend for this generation. Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are, by far, the most frequently used platforms. One-quarter of Gen Zers spend five hours or more per day on TikTok. TikTok continues to soar in popularity among members of Generation Z (8,800% in 5 years).

Is Gen Z more open minded?

Gen Z is generally more open-minded in a lot of aspects that the older generations are not able to accept, and it is important to Gen Z that they feel that their voice is heard. Instead of trying to correct their views instantly, have an open and respectful discussion to try and understand them.

“Teens feel that being cool is about just being yourself, embracing what you love, rejecting what you don't, and being kind to others.”

They crave work-life balance and mental health support. They dread getting stuck in a dull job. And they fault today's decision-makers for downplaying the issues that move them, like school shootings and racism. Meet Gen Z, as depicted by a new report.

Generation Z (Gen Z) is currently between 10 and 25 years old, born between 1997 and 2012, and research suggests that they are the most anxious generation to date. For Gen Zers, anxiety is fueled not only by the pandemic but also by unemployment, climate change, technology, and other stressors.

The report revealed that good work-life balance and learning and development opportunities were the top priorities for respondents when choosing an employer. It also showed that 45% of Gen Zers feel burned out due to their work environment and 44% have left jobs due to workload pressure.

But Gen Zers are different from older generations, because they are the first consumers to have grown up wholly in the digital era. They're tech-savvy and mobile-first—and they have high standards for how they spend their time online.

They're increasing female labor force participation rates, but generation Z women plan to postpone childbirth and have fewer children than Millennials. According to a recent survey of over 1,000 members of generation Z, 27% don't want to have kids.

Gen Z is the most technologically savvy to the older generations and can adapt quicker than most. 72% of Gen Z are creative and want to start their own businesses and they are able to multitask more than any other generation.

While Gen Z is a marketable generation, their attention span may challenge brands. As mentioned before, the average attention span of someone born into Gen Z is about 8 seconds. Why has this generation seen such a decrease in their average attention span over older generations?

Who does Gen Z trust?

They Also Trust Those Close to Them—Their top sources of inspiration are family members (88 percent) and friends (84 percent), in sharp contrast to politicians (42 percent) and religious leaders (44 percent) who represent more distant institutions.

Gen Z (42%) is about twice as likely as Americans over 25 (23%) to battle depression and feelings of hopelessness. Gen Z is three times as likely (18% to 5%) as Americans over 25 to say their challenges are so severe that they thought they might be better off dead.

Gen Z employees focus on their careers and extremely hard working. A global survey conducted by the Workforce Institute at Kronos across 12 countries identified that Gen Zers strongly believe that they are the hardest working generation, followed by millennials.

Psychology professor at the University of Melbourne, Nick Haslam, says the shift away from phone calls is likely down to control, convenience, and multitasking – three things Gen Z value highly.

“…in an instant, you are dating someone, they're your loyal partner and the “L” word is going to fall out of your mouth at any moment.

75% of Gen Z are single. 44% of millennials are married. Millennials spend an average of two hours a day on dating apps. 74% of millennials and Gen Zers use dating apps.

Gen Z refuses to settle—only 1 in 10 say they are committed to being committed. The primary drawback of commitment for young people is becoming too reliant on someone or something. The most important relationship they have is with themselves. And right now it is complicated.

Nearly half of the generation is also under some form of debt, including student loans and credit cards, while 40% find it difficult to afford day-to-day necessities owing to surging rents and home prices, according to the survey.

A global Vice Media Group study from September 2020, Love After Lockdown, made up of 45% Gen Z respondents, showed 75% were currently single and not dating during the pandemic. Many reported this was in part because they wanted to take the solitary time to get to know themselves better before pursuing a partnership.