In a conscious world, conscious brands thrive!

The eldest member of Generation Z — the demographic born between 1996 and 2010 — is just 24, and yet the group’s dominance is already being felt. In 2019, they became the largest generation, constituting 32 percent of the global population — or 2.47 billion of the 7.7 billion people on Earth — surpassing the millennials and Baby Boomers, respectively.

“They see the world so differently than those who came before them,” says Meghan Grace, author of “Generation Z: A Century in the Making.” According to Pew Research on American Gen-Zers, nearly half are ethnic minorities (48 percent) and a third know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns (35 percent).

Most are pursuing college (59 percent compared to 32 percent of Gen-Xers at their age). They’re progressive but less partisan — a third decline to call themselves Democrats or Republicans. And they’re better at saving money (32 percent do it regularly compared to 23 percent of Gen-Xers when they were the same age), thanks to the ripple effects of the 2008 recession (when the oldest of them was just 13). “They’ve seen how an economic downturn can impact people’s lives,” says Grace.

According to the Pew Report, April 2020; one-in-ten eligible voters in the 2020 election will be part of a new generation emerging demography – Generation Z. Gen Z were born after 1996, most members of this generation are not yet old enough to vote, but as the oldest among them turn 23 this year, roughly 24 million will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in November, 2020. And their political clout will continue to grow steadily in the coming years, as more and more of them reach voting age.

nlike Millennials – who this new generation was in line to inherit a strong economy with record-low employment until this year the world economies were hit by Covid. Instead of looking ahead to a world of opportunities, Gen Z now peers into an uncertain future.

Gen Z is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations. Gen Zers are slightly less likely than Millennials to be immigrants: 6% were born outside of the U.S., compared with 7% of Millennials at the same age. But they are more likely to be the children of immigrants: 22% of Gen Zers have at least one immigrant parent (compared with 14% of Millennials). Even as immigration flows into the U.S. have decraesed in the recent years across the world, new immigrants will join the ranks of Gen Z in the years to come. As a result, this generation is projected to become majority nonwhite by 2026, according to Census Bureau projections.

Gen Zers are on track to become the best-educated generation the world has ever seen. Gen Z are less likely to drop out of high school and more likely to be enrolled in college. Among 18- to 21-year-olds no longer in high school in 2018, 57% were enrolled in a two-year or four-year college. This compares with 52% among Millennials in 2003 and 43% among members of Gen X in 1987. previous generations of young people. 

In 2019, 44% of Gen Zers ages 7 to 17 were living with a parent who had a bachelor’s degree or more education, compared with 33% of Millennials when they were the same age. Both of these trends reflect the overall trend toward more Gen Z pursuing higher education. Having well educated parents makes Gen Z a very savvy and well-informed group who have researched their topics, subjects and products well and make decisions based on well documented research and not fads. Unlike previous generations, Gen Zers are able to align their values and beliefs with their lifestyle.

Gen Zers and Millennials share similar views on issues facing the country. These younger generations are more likely than their older counterparts to say the earth is getting warmer due to human activity: 54% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials say this, compared with smaller shares of Gen Xers, Boomers and Silents (48%, 45% and 38%, respectively).

When it comes to race relations, Gen Zers and Millennials are about equally likely to say that blacks are treated less fairly than whites in this country. Roughly two-thirds of Gen Zers and Millennials say this, compared with about half of Gen Xers and Boomers and smaller shares among the Silent Generation.

Younger generations also share a different view of the U.S. relative to other countries in the world. Gen Zers (14%) and Millennials (13%) are less likely than Gen Xers (20%), Boomers (30%) or Silents (45%) to say the U.S. is better than all other countries. Still, pluralities of every generation except the Silent Generation say the U.S. is one of the best countries in the world along with some others.