Depending on whether your institution has more traditional students or nontraditional students, you may have primarily Gen Z students or a combination of Gen Z and millennial students. Your community college may even see some younger Gen X students retooling for a late-life career change.
We’re guessing most of your students are from Gen Z with some millennials mixed in. Does the research support what you believe you know about them?
Millennials (Born 1981-1996) vs. Gen Z (Born 1997-2015)
Raised during an economic boom, millennials are an optimistic generation sometimes seen as being pandered to by adults in their lives. Millennials buy more products or services that will give them a positive experience. Research shows that Gen Z’s experiences in living through multiple recessions are leading them to make more practical spending decisions than their older peers. Influencer Marketing found two interesting statistics in their research that seem to support this. The first is that Gen Z saves an average of one-third of their income. The second is that, whether it’s due to frugality or concern for the environment, 80% of Gen Z are likely to shop for secondhand items.
While millennials grew up during the advent of cell phones, dial up internet services, and DVD players, Gen Z had access to smartphones, unlimited Wi-Fi, and streaming services that put DVD players to shame. Millennials watched incredible technology innovation begin, but Gen Z was immersed in it from day one.
Speaking of the Gen Z growing up experience—Gen Z is growing up. The youngest members of this generation haven’t yet reached college age, while the oldest are working and a few have even started their own families.
GEN Z: GROWING UP
- 51% Still Students
- 33% Hold a PT or FT Job
- 11% Are Married/Have Children
Source: https://www.gwi.com/reports/generation-z
Defining Traits
Pew Research Center identifies interesting trends in ethnic diversity and educational levels among recent generations. Gen Z is more ethnically diverse than any previous generation.
GEN Z AND DIVERSITY
Have At Least One Immigrant Parent:
- 14% Millennials
- 22% Gen Z
Pew Research predicts that Gen Z will become the majority non-white in the U.S. by 2026.
Along with being more diverse, Gen Z is also more educated than previous generations. This starts with having more educated parents. Pew Research found 44% of Gen Z living with a parent holding a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2019, compared with just 33% of millennials in 2003.
GEN Z AND EDUCATION
18-21-Year-Olds Enrolled In College:
- 43% Gen X In 1987
- 52% Millennials In 2003
- 57% Gen Z In 2018
A Gallup and Walton Family Foundation-State of American Youth Survey found that 83% of Gen Z in the U.S. say that a college education is “very important” or “fairly important” today.
GEN Z AND SOCIAL ISSUES
- 55% Extremely Interested in Environmental Issues
- 36% Engaged in Some Form of
Political Activism in 2020
This generation has strong feelings about the environment, politics, and social justice, and they’re not afraid to express them through their social media and buying behavior.
How Does Gen Z Learn?
With digital technology having always been fully integrated into their lives, Gen Z expects that learning tools will be available on-demand, with low barriers to access any desired knowledge. For them, learning isn’t limited to just the classroom; it’s something that can take place anytime and anywhere. They believe they should be able to seamlessly connect academic experiences to personal experiences through the same tools. With online grading portals, Gen Z wants access to scores within hours of finishing an exam.
Gen Z ranked YouTube and video as preferred methods for learning, with YouTube ranking second only to teachers as a learning tool. For Gen Z, YouTube ranked higher than lectures, in-person activities with classmates, learning applications, and books. As digital natives, Gen Z values educational software, visuals to break up long lectures and large blocks of text, online office hours, and rationales for how a lesson applies in the real world.
How Does Gen Z Communicate?
Nearly all Gen Z teens have access to smartphones and use them to do pretty much everything. Teens have mixed views on whether social media has a positive or negative effect on their generation, as it’s great for connecting with friends and family, but can also lead to bullying and rumor spreading.
While multiple channels are important, one communication mode rises above the rest: texting over talking. For Gen Z, their phone is an extension of oneself, and their digital life occupies a greater portion of their time than their offline interactions.
With Gen Z, attention spans are decreasing, making this generation the ultimate consumers of short-and-sweet snack media. They prefer videos and images over text—and punchy headlines and concise text resonate better than lengthy passages of words. Using images or video with short text to appeal to Gen Z makes sense: Just think of it as creating something similar to a social media post, even if you’re not posting it in social media channels.
Members of Gen Z acknowledge that technology has weakened their interpersonal skills, and they need help developing these skills as they approach the workforce. They need more face time by going to events or meeting with friends instead of texting. While many don’t possess the social skills of previous generations, they are known for having a strong sense of pragmatism. While Gen Z wants to make a difference in the world, an innate historical wariness makes them seek security and growth opportunities as they prepare for careers.
We’ve shared some information about Gen Z, now we’d love to hear what you think. Share your thoughts with us on LinkedIn, so we can all better communicate with this generation.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2021 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.