Key takeaways
- "To be safe" was the top goal for Generation Z in a survey of 1,644 10- to 24-year-olds across the U.S. Other top goals were "to be kind," "to have a lot of fun," "self-acceptance" and "to be in good shape."
- Safety as a top goal for Gen Z may be a result of compounding crises, including reports of school shootings and increased threats, financial uncertainty and lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Findings follow other recent studies that indicate Generation Z is making mental and physical health a priority.
Generation Z is focused primarily on safety, followed by kindness, self-acceptance and having fun, according to a recent survey of 10- to 24-year-olds by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA.
While political pollsters are actively dissecting what swayed the youth vote in the recent 2024 election, the study may offer some insights.
Yalda Uhls, adjunct professor of psychology at UCLA and founder and CEO of CSS, says today's youth are growing up in an era of compounded crises, including school shootings, a worsening climate crisis, financial uncertainty and the lingering trauma of a global pandemic.
"It's no wonder young people, particularly young men who have been struggling for many decades, were swayed by messaging that played directly to their deepest anxieties," she said. "Ideals like hope and unity cannot resonate unless people feel safe and stable."
Out of 14 listed goals, being kind to others ranked second in importance to being safe.
The researchers say the finding is also significant because it indicates members of Gen Z are committed to values like empathy and compassion, despite stereotypes that the pressures of social media cause them to want to become rich and famous like the influencers they follow.
The next highest-ranking responses in the survey were "to have a lot of fun," "self-acceptance" and "to be in great shape," bolstering support for findings in other recent studies that show young people care deeply about physical and mental well-being, and contribute to the popularity of fitness-focused online spaces like #FitTok and online trends like #BratSummer, focused on letting loose and having fun.
While safety was a top concern for young people across age groups, the survey revealed that as kids get older and enter the young adult years, being kind to others and self-acceptance become more important than safety and having fun. When breaking out the findings by race and ethnicity, young people of color put safety first, while white and Latino youth ranked "to be kind" above safety. Broken out by gender, boys prioritized "to have a lot of fun" and "to be kind to others" over "to be safe," compared to girls and those of other genders whose top answer was safety. This variation is in line with recent data from the Center for Disease Control that female and LGBTQ+ high school students report higher rates of violence, poor mental health and suicidal thoughts and behaviors than their peers.
"Gen Z seems to be demonstrating through these findings the desire to love and accept themselves despite the pressures of social media, to look after their health and well-being, and simply to enjoy themselves, reflecting a balanced and thoughtful approach to life," CSS director of research Alisha Hines said.
The survey can help bridge the gap between psychology research and media creation to help young people thrive.
"These findings underscore the value of research-driven insights and remind us not to let stereotypes dictate our understanding of youth. Teens today have complex, meaningful aspirations that go beyond social media myths," Uhls said. "It is up to adults to continue meeting youth where they're at with the resources and encouragement they need — at their schools, in their communities and on their screens."
The findings are part of the 2024 Teens and Screens Report, a comprehensive annual portrait of adolescence and media that surveyed 1,644 young people ages 10-24, (reflecting the ages of adolescence defined by the National Academy of Sciences) in August 2024, with 100 teens from each age bracket taking part. Respondents closely reflected the U.S. Census in terms of race and gender. The findings are also part of CSS's regular Teen Snapshot series, which are quick pulses on young people's media tastes, interests and opinions about current events. Teens and Screens is supported by the collection of Funders for Adolescent Science Translation, Roblox and Disney.
