Life Actually, A No Bullshit Study
In collaboration with the USC Center for Public Relations
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Youth culture drives our work at Day One. We're deeply curious about what's rising to the top and why, who is influencing this generation on the verge of or in the early stages of adulthood, and, of course, what does it mean for brands?
However, we're the first to admit that the race to understand youth culture and be a “part of the cultural conversation” has led to a frenetic trend cycle, a clogged feed and insights increasingly disconnected from reality. How, we wondered, is Gen Z really thinking about the future? What does their Game of Life look like?
In partnership with the USC Center for Public Relations, we surveyed 1,022 Gen Zers across the country to understand their hopes and dreams. Turns out, they’re not so different from any other young person from any other generation. The data revealed three cohorts: the Neo-Traditionalists, Fluid Pragmatists, and Internet-Age Explorers. Understanding these groups and their singular yet universal motivations is how we move beyond cultural catnip and actually build connection.
Introduction
Gen Z isn't Special
You'd never know it from the feverish headlines covering their every move over the past four years.
In an effort to tap into the generation's $450 billion spending power, brands, agencies (including us!), journalists and trend forecasters have turned to—and helped create—an endless trove of “insights” to bolster their desired narrative or course of action.
This yackety sax-backing tracked quest to decipher an entire generation has ultimately resulted in reductive and often comical clichés. Untold budgets are spent on Gen Z rebrands: an amorphous catch-all covering everything from chrome bubble letters and “nostalgic references” to an emphasis on vertical video. “Here’s why Gen Z is doing ____” is reliable LinkedIn fodder. The phrase “Gen Z” alone is reliable, low-hanging SEO fruit. A Google search for “Gen Z” recently turned up the same headline about “conscious unbossing” (???) by over twelve different media outlets. Rinse and repeat for: “quiet quitting,” disdain for the 👍 emoji, broccoli haircuts, aversions to carbonated beverages, etc.
Meanwhile, brands and agencies obsess over speaking Gen Z's language, using TikTok terminology, leaning into trends and dishing out products that are really just signalers for other marketers.
Youth marketing is not new, and is obviously very valuable. But with so much noise it's hard to discern said value. The ease with which certain behaviors are reduced to a marketable trend, and clustered under the ubiquitous “Gen Z” label has created this vision of youth culture devoid of nuance. Foggy metrics, and videos with millions of “views” are suddenly authoritative resources eagerly capitalized on by brands looking to understand consumers' behaviors and purchasing habits. Data dissonance—the disconnect between data used to tell stories about culture, and culture itself—is especially pronounced when it comes to Gen Z.
We must confront a few questions:
Are these behaviors and attitudes unique to this cohort? Or are they common across generations? We've gotten so caught up in meaningless minutiae of the day-to-day trend cycle, dissecting every fleeting headline in order to strip mine something substantive from it. Are these trends, insights, and data points bringing us to new and interesting spaces? Are we boxing ourselves in by focusing strictly on demographics? Is Gen Z really…just like us? This distinction will help cloud out the junk and unlock tangible, actually useful lanes for brands to connect with younger consumers.
The Study
In partnership with USC Center for Public Relations, we set out to understand what this generation wants. How are they thinking about their future as they navigate early adulthood, how do they plan to play the Game of Life? We asked 1,022 Gen Zers how they feel about topics like politics, finance, relationships and more.
When the results came back we grappled with stand-alone data points—and what to do with them. We could've focused on one singular statistic around screen time, Zyn or polyamory (the holy trinity…kidding), and framed a story about a horny generation hooked on nicotine and videos of Subway Surfers and soap shavings. It's all storytelling. But who does that actually serve? Respectfully, this is an academic study.
Some held more “traditional” values around family, relationships and the workplace, whereas others were more experimental. Some were optimistic about the future while others had a bleaker forecast. Sound familiar?
We found that most traits, characteristics and desires are as unique to Gen Z as to any prior generation—further emphasizing the need to think critically about what we read and uncover about Gen Z, and to look to psychographics for valuable insights.
full-time employment
renting forever
an electric vehicle
(34% the opposite)
civic engagement
like voting
live in the city
explore the world
work and life
Internet-Age Explorers are open to new endeavors online and IRL.
Brands should offer lanes to facilitate experimentation, customization and unique travel experiences.