Generations are an invention created by marketers, human resource departments, and people who create surveys.
They are notoriously tricky to define as a simple year-range, but generally, Gen Z describes a set of beliefs and behaviors that is particularly common among those born between 1995 and 2005.
The funny-looking Snapchat generation that wears dyed hair and hoodies depicting cats with middle fingers up has the highest IQ in history. In the same way boys tend to grow up to be taller than their fathers during times of peace, new generations actually tend to score higher than past generations on intelligence tests. This phenomenon is called the Flynn effect. It has been widely demonstrated throughout the world for the past 100 years.
Before the Gen Zs—or “zoomers” as they are also known—beat them out, millennials actually held the title of a generation with the highest IQ. You might be surprised to hear that considering the reputation millennials have acquired, but it’s true.
Other Gen Z Fun Facts
These guys are the first to basically be guaranteed to see a human land on Mars. They are extremely skeptical of traditional news and are prone to belief in unconventional worldviews like simulation theory and the existence of aliens. Here are a few of the most interesting facts and statistics about Gen Z.
Mental Health
You are more likely to find a Gen Z in therapy or at an outpatient wellness facility than any other generation.
A report by the American Psychological Association says that nine in 10 GenZ adults (91 percent) have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom because of stress. These include “feeling depressed or sad” (58 percent) and “lacking interest, motivation or energy” (55 percent). Only half of all GenZs report feeling like they do enough to manage their stress.
This can be partially explained by the normalization of mental health disorders such as depression and ADHD. In other words, zoomers may not actually feel worse than past generations, rather, they do not hide how they feel.
Race and Diversity
In the U.S, this is also expected to be the first generation that is less than 50% white.
Surveys report that Gen Z is between 49-52% white. Compare that to millennials in 2003: 60-62% white.
Reporting on these issues is also expected to change. People of mixed heritage who belong to this generation are less likely to class themselves as white than previous generations.
Across the USA, one-fourth of Gen Zs are Hispanic, with that number varying widely by state. In Western states such as Colorado and New Mexico, only 40% of Gen Zs are non-Hispanic white. Even in the Southern states, a majority of Gen Zs are non-white. Minority representation is lowest in the Midwest, where about 68% of Gen Z is non-Hispanic white.
Future Proof Jobs
Zoomers are much more entrepreneurial than previous generations. Despite their very young age, many have already experienced some financial success through their tech-savvy, including this 17-year-old Bitcoin millionaire.
With the rise of the internet, tools have never been as accessible to young people. Gen Z has grown up wielding YouTube tutorials for research and consuming Reddit knowledge-infusions as a hobby.
Zoomers believe that the most future proof jobs lie in the tech industry. According to LinkedIn, some of the top skills that young college grads are learning are
- Data visualization;
- Data modeling;
- Python;
- Web analytics;
Gen Zs dream big. It’s just a different sort of big. A survey of 5 year olds found recently that more wanted to be YouTubers than astronauts, leaving astronaut as the second most-wanted job by this very exclusive group for the first time since 1960.
Conclusion
There is no denying that technology and culture are intimately related. Even in the days of cavemen, a spear could mean the difference between life and death. Human beings tend to create myths and industries around these paradigm-shifting inventions.
The internet was invented by DARPA in the 60s. It would not go on to marry culture for another 40 years. However, the children who inherited this powerful legacy are now grown up and entering the workforce.
Gen Z is hellbent on using technology to change the world. These digital masters have been plugged into the collective wisdom of humanity since they were in elementary school. It is only a matter of time before this generation teaches us what it actually means to live in the 21st century.
