Why Gen Z is the smartest generation? (2023)

Is Gen Z the most intelligent?

Gen Z is also the smartest and best educated generation. Having an unlimited wealth of information at our disposal has not gone to waste. In America, 57 percent of Gen Z is reported to have enrolled in a two-year or four-year college, compared to 52 percent of Millenials and 43 percent of Gen X.

This generation may be on track to be the best-educated generation. About 57% of Gen Zers not in high school were enrolled in college, a slight increase compared to the 52% of Millennials at the same stage of life.

Gen Z are not 'coddled. ' They are highly collaborative, self-reliant and pragmatic, according to new Stanford-affiliated research. Generation Z, the first generation never to know the world without the internet, value diversity and finding their own unique identities, says Stanford scholar Roberta Katz.

A CM Group consumer research effort that polled 1,000 consumers found Gen Z consumers are better educated, more practical, more ambitious and more skeptical than Millennials.

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.

The brains of Generation Zs have become wired to sophisticated, complex visual imagery. As a result, the part of the brain responsible for visual ability is far more developed, making visual forms of learning more effective. Auditory learning (lecture and discussion) is very strongly disliked by this age group.

It's not that Gen Z has lost critical thinking skills, it is that they may have never fully developed in the first place. Gen Z's entering the professional workplaces are educated, book smart, eager, and capable – and yet it seems like they entirely lack a certain skillset: critical thinking.

Though they take more standardized tests than any other previous generation, Gen Z's learning style is anything but standard. As the most diverse and technologically connected generation to date, they're used to being bombarded with information geared just for them, in the ways that suit them best.

They might have grown up with screens as their norm, but yes, Gen Z does read books.

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.

What are 5 characteristics of Gen Z?

People ages 16 to 25, commonly known as Generation Z, consider themselves the hardest-working generation yet won't tolerate being forced to work when they don't want to, according to a new study.

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

USA Today cites 1997 to 2012 as Generation Z. A US Census publication in 2020 described Generation Z as the “young and mobile” population with oldest members of the cohort born after 1996. William H. Frey, senior fellow of the Brookings Institution cited Pew Research Center's definition in their 2020 Census analysis.

The Greatest Generation commonly refers to those Americans who were born in the 1900s through the 1920s. The Greatest Generation members all lived through the Great Depression and many of them fought in World War II. These individuals have often been described as driven, patriotic, and team-players.

Greatest Generation (Born 1901-27).

Pros: Survived the Depression, fought and won World War II, rebuilt Europe and led the U.S. economy to the top of the world after the war.

But why is Gen Z so obsessed with the middle part? A theory posed by The Cut is that the younger generation is more open to accepting flaws and they therefore feel less need to hide part of their face behind their hair.

70% of Gen Z say that anxiety and depression are significant problems among their peers. ² 30% of parents surveyed felt that their child was experiencing negative effects on their emotional or mental health due to social distancing and school closures. ⁷

Generation Z considers itself more accepting and open-minded than any generation before it. Almost half of Gen Zs are minorities, compared to 22% of Baby Boomers, and the majority of Gen Z supports social movements such as Black Lives Matter, transgender rights, and feminism.

What skills do Gen Z have?

Bonfini, co-editor of the second edition of Casebook for DSM-5: Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, observes that Generation Z as a whole lacks many of the social skills that previous generations learned through face-to-face interactions.

Gen Z folks are fast tech-savvy learners and strategic spenders. They are determined, creative, and collaborative students who want to make positive change and secure a stable future for themselves.

On the other hand, Generation Z can be considered as the fast learners who would adapt to e-learning training programmes as they have a stronger connection with digital learning which has shaped their lives around the digital spectrum.

Gen Z is the only generation not to have Rock in their Top 5 most enjoyed genres. They're also the only generation to have Dance in their top 5. The younger generations have a stronger skew towards in Hip-Hop, Rap and R'n'B music genres.

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.

Gen Z may be the most misunderstood generation

Just like every generation, Gen Z has its own unique set of values and priorities. But unlike the millennials before them, they lack the same opportunities to establish their place in the world. They're also facing more challenges than any other generation before them.

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.

Provide clear career paths, mentorship programs, and training to help attract Gen Z to your company. These programs can prove to Gen Z candidates that you value them for the long-term potential they bring to your company, not just for their ability to fill an entry-level role.

What does Gen Z want most?

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.

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).

According to the data from Firstup, Gen Z are most interested in careers involving business, healthcare, and tech, not dissimilar to their Millennial counterparts. On the other hand, manufacturing and retail were found to be the least appealing.

Millennials were considered the first global generation because they shared similar characteristics and values across borders and they were able to view significant global events in real-time. However, Generation Z interacts with their global peers with greater fluidity than any other generation.

Due to the cyclical nature of generational characteristics, “the New Silent Generation” may be the most descriptive name, because its members will likely mimic many of the traits of the Silent Generation (born 1923-1944).

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.

Seventy-three percent of Gen Z report feeling alone either sometimes or always—the highest level of any generation. The mental health challenges experienced by Gen Z are like nothing any other generation has faced.

Gen Z cares more about work-life balance and personal well-being, according to a report by workforce communications app Firstup. It found they look for benefits such as paid time off, mental health days, or activities that create a sense of community. They value employers who prioritize employee mental health.

The Pew Research Center uses 1928 to 1945 as birth years for this cohort. According to this definition, people of the Silent Generation are 77 to 94 years old in 2022.

Gen Z is currently the smallest adult population in U.S.

Members of Gen Z age 18 or older only make up 10.3% of the total U.S. population, compared to the largest generation, millennials, who make up nearly 22%. Even once all of Gen Z are grown, they'll still be a smaller generation than millennials.

What is the Silent Generation called?

The Silent Generation, also known as "Radio Babies" or "Traditionalists," includes people who were born between 1928 and 1945 and lived through World War II and the Great Depression, according to FamilySearch . These challenging experiences shaped many of the generation's attitudes toward the workplace.

Cheugy (pronounced chew-gee, for the uninitiated) is a term coined by Gen Z and defined by Urban Dictionary as a “catch-all word” to describe anything untrendy, uncool or “basic”.

Sports is Gen Z and Millennials' top hobby. Gen Z is more likely than Millennials to say gaming and dance are top hobbies. Art and music are also top hobbies for both gens, who prize creativity.

Educated and empathetic

The pair say Gen Z is also the "most educated", "empathetic" and "politically aware" generation, as well as being the most diverse. "They're so accepting of different groups and I think that will have a significant impact both culturally and politically," Christensen says.

How does Gen Z's technology use compare with that of older generations? Though they tend to lag some older generations in their use of tech, it's only because many Gen Zers are still children. Their high level of comfort with technology will eventually make them the most digitally sophisticated generation ever.

The Workforce Institute at Kronos Inc surveyed over 3,000 members of Generation Z across the globe. The survey showed them to: Believe they are the hardest working generation ever, with 32% agreeing with the statement. Think they have it the hardest, with 36% agreeing with the statement.

In terms of being parents, Gen Zers tend to view parenthood as identity-improving, and a role which enhances their lives. They are very child-focused, and want to be heavily involved in their children's lives.

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.