Generation Z in the United States

Part of a series on
Social generations of the Western world

Generation Z (or Gen Z for short), colloquially known as Zoomers,[1][2] is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha.[3]

Members of Generation Z, were born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s, with the generation typically being defined as those born from 1997 to 2012. In other words, the first wave came of age during the second decade of the twenty-first century,[4] a time of significant demographic change due to declining birthrates, population aging, and immigration.[5] Girls of the early twenty-first century reach puberty earlier than their counterparts from the previous generations.[6] They have higher incidents of eye problems,[7][8] allergies,[9][10] awareness and reporting of mental health issues,[9][11][12] suicide,[13] and sleep deprivation,[14][15] but lower rates of adolescent pregnancy.[16][17][18] They drink alcohol and smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes less often,[19] but are more likely to consume marijuana[20][21] and electronic cigarettes.[22]

Americans who grew up in the 2000s and 2010s saw gains in IQ points,[23] but loss in creativity.[24] During the 2000s and 2010s, while Western educators in general and American schoolteachers in particular concentrated on helping struggling rather than gifted students,[25] American students of the 2010s had a decline in mathematical literacy and reading proficiency[26] and were trailing behind their counterparts from other countries, especially East Asia.[27][28] They ranked above the OECD average in science and computer literacy, but below average in mathematics.[29]

They read books less often than their predecessors and spend more time in front of a screen.[30][31][32] They tend to become familiar with the Internet and portable digital devices at a young age (as "digital natives"),[4] but are not necessarily digitally literate,[33] and tend to struggle in a digital work place.[34][35] An absolute majority is using at least one social-media platform,[36] leading to concerns that spending so much time on social media can distort their view of the world,[37] hamper their social development,[38] harm their mental health,[39][40][41][42][43] expose them to inappropriate materials,[44][45] and cause them to become addicted.[36][46]

Although they trust traditional news media more than what they see online,[47] they tend to be more skeptical of the news than their parents.[48] Young Americans of the late 2010s and early 2020s tend to hold politically left-leaning views.[49][50] However, there is a significant sex gap[51] and most are more interested in advancing their careers than pursuing idealistic political causes.[52][53] As voters, Generation Z's top issue is the economy.[54] As consumers, Generation Z's actual purchases do not reflect their environmental ideals.[55][56] Members of Generation Z, especially women, are also more likely to be irreligious than older cohorts.[57][58]

On the whole, they are financially cautious,[59][60] and are increasingly interested in alternatives to attending institutions of higher education,[61][62] with young men being primarily responsible for the trend.[63][64] Among those who choose to go to college, grades and standards have fallen because of disruptions in learning due to COVID-19.[65]

Although American youth culture has become highly fragmented by the start of the early twenty-first century, a product of growing individualism,[66] nostalgia is a major feature of youth culture in the 2010s and 2020s.[67][68]

  1. ^ "Words We're Watching: 'Zoomer'". Merriam-Webster. October 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "zoomer". Dictionary.com. January 16, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Williams, Alex (September 19, 2015). "Meet Alpha: The Next 'Next Generation'". Fashion. The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Generation Z". Lexico. Oxford English Dictionary. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
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  6. ^ Nawaz, Amna; Hudgins, Jackson. "New study details potential long-term health risks as American girls reach puberty earlier". PBS Newshour. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
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  16. ^ Patten, Eileen; Livingston, Gretchen (April 29, 2016). "Why is the teen birth rate falling?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
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  29. ^ Rotermund, Susan; Burke, Amy (July 8, 2021). "Elementary and Secondary STEM Education - Executive Summary". National Science Foundation. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
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