Gen Z is the first generation that has grown up with access to the internet and digital devices from the earliest stages of life. This has had a profound impact on them, as Ms. Twenge wrote, because “technological change isn’t just about stuff; it’s about how we live, which influences how we think, feel, and behave.” This has resulted in less personal interaction with peers and increased isolation—which is never a positive thing.
The effects of this isolation are best illustrated by the results of the AEI survey, which compares Gen Zers with millennials, Generation Xers, and baby boomers. For instance, only 52 percent of Gen Zers report regularly attending religious services during their teenage years, compared to the 58 percent of millennials, 64 percent of Gen Xers, and 71 percent of baby boomers who attended church as teenagers.
This is important because churches provide social connection and purpose, inspiring us to look beyond ourselves and our own “self-fulfillment” and to aspire to help others. Thus, it isn’t surprising that 61 percent of Gen Z members report feeling isolated and lonely during their teenage years, compared to 57 percent of millennials, 44 percent of Gen Xers, and 36 percent of baby boomers. Only 40 percent of Gen Zers say they spend most of their time with friends versus the 54 percent of millennials, 60 percent of Gen Xers, and 52 percent of baby boomers who did so when they were young. While Gen Zers report being “more connected” to friends than millennials, those connections are often digital instead of face-to-face and thus lack deeper meaning.
So it isn’t surprising that Gen Zers report that they increasingly seek therapy to cope with life. The report states that about 1 in 4 (27 percent) Gen Z adults—including nearly one-third (31 percent) of Gen Z women—said they spent at least a portion of their teen years talking to a therapist.
However, there was one interesting statistic that illustrates that Gen Z has learned one lesson from the generations that have gone before: the devastating impact that drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes have had on their peers, parents, and grandparents. Only 32 percent of them report drinking alcohol or smoking marijuana or cigarettes while teenagers, compared to 43 percent of millennials, 52 percent of Gen Xers, and 54 percent of baby boomers.
But Gen Z and what its members believe is making a major impact on our culture and politics. Given the cynicism and division of the age in which they’ve grown up—cynicism and division that’s often inflamed by social media—only 34 percent of Gen Zers trust the political leaders of their youth, compared to 66 percent of baby boomers, for example.
So what does this all add up to? Confusion and contradiction, which is often the result of isolation. By not having meaningful social interactions, which tend to shape attitudes and beliefs, and instead being tethered to social media for information, Gen Z finds itself twisting in the wind, unsure of what it believes or why. This makes Gen Zers susceptible to the winds of the current cultural moment without a solid foundation—especially one with a sense of purpose, such as faith—to guide them.
However, these statistics also offer a glimmer of hope amid the uncertainty. Gen Z may be slowly awakening to a desire to return to cultural normalcy—even if its members don’t know yet what that means. It also means that they’re open to hearing from and learning from others. It’s thus incumbent upon older generations to gently guide and model that to them—through investing in the personal, in-person interaction that Gen Z craves—rather than just writing off what they believe without considering the forces that have made them believe the way they do.
They’re searching for answers, and through intentional investment in them, we can provide Gen Z with a better and less cynical future.
