Gen-Z (The Next Generation)
Millennials Are Older
Isn’t it a bit weird to think that the oldest Millennials are turning forty soon? They’re no longer the “young ones.” The next generation, if you didn’t already know, is Gen-Z. Gen-Zers are born roughly between 1999 and 2015.
Early in 2018, Impact 360 Institute and Barna Group joined together to put on a conference that discussed some of the most important facts about this new generation (learn more in their study and listen to our conversation on Gen-Z with Jonathan Morrow).
A Handful of Notes on the Gen-Z Generation
As I was watching the livestream during this conference, I took a bunch of notes. Below is just a handful of facts presented that I thought were interesting. They’re in no specific order!
- 57% are on screens for 4+ hours a day
- Many feel lonely
- They go to Google and Facebook for sex education
- They desire diversity
- 12% describe their own sexuality as non-heterosexual
- 33% say gender is how a person feels and not their birth sex
- Success in a career is a high priority
- Many have not been exposed to Christianity
- 1/3 call themselves “None,” atheistic, or agnostic
- 4% have a biblical worldview
- Many believe that the Bible and science contradict one another
- Many view scientists as the authority
- Many believe in fluid morality, though 34% believe lying is wrong
- 34% say family and religion is most important personally
- 37% identify gender as central to their sense of self
- 29% know someone personally who has changed their gender identity
- Getting married and having children is lower on their life goals
- 51% say that happiness is the ultimate goal
- Interested in money
- Strong FOMO (fear of missing out)
One thing important that was said during this Gen-Z conference was, “Don’t assume you know this generation because you’ve heard some statistics.” We all know that statistics aren’t real people. Real people are real people. Just because someone fits into the age category of Gen-Z does not mean all of these stats apply to them.
Having said that, this does paint a general cultural picture of many people in that age category – at least in western civilization. I think it would do us well to consider some of these points and think about how we might best engage Gen-Z friends and family with the truth of the gospel.
What do you think? What are some ways we can best engage Gen-Zers with the gospel?
