In fact, their survey results from 2,500 randomly selected U.S. adults shows 80% of Gen Z say they believe they'll find true love, making them the most optimistic generation about finding love. Yet, only 55% of Gen Z feel like they're actually ready for partnership. Therein lies the "readiness paradox," a phenomenon that paralyzes Gen Z from taking that initial step toward a serious relationship, and subsequently toward marriage and having children.
Gen Z loves #RichTok - and they love being rich. Mash them together and you get a generation that overwhelmingly turns to social media for investing advice as they seek the most elusive thing of all for the young: financial independence. Social media ranked the top reason 55% of Gen Z and 44% of millennial investors say they got into investing, according to a survey of 300,000 investors over five years by the Oliver Wyman Forum.
"Ikea wanted to better understand how Gen Z and Gen Alpha think about furnishing and self-expression, recognizing the need to meet them on platforms they already use and learn from how they interact with products and spaces in a digital environment,"
We live in a world of instant gratification. Sushi arrives at our door in minutes, a gorgeous coat can be bought with a few taps, and dating apps let us feel attractive from the comfort of our couch. With everything available instantly, it's no surprise that some singles are craving the opposite - a rewind to romance, old-school style. Inspired by "Friends" episodes and parents beginning sentences with "Back in my day...," daters are chasing grand gestures, simpler dates
On Monday, Coach launched a collection within The Sims 4, marking the first time a fashion brand has partnered with the video game in five years. All players will be able to access the new collection, which is free and features customizable items from Coach's ready-to-wear line, including its Tabby and Brooklyn bags, as well as decorative objects that can be used to craft Coach-inspired interiors through the game's build mode.
It often starts small. A dab of concealer. A tinted moisturizer. Maybe a brow gel that goes from borrowed to bought. For many men, like Daniel Rankin, makeup has transformed from something taboo into a tool to make them look less tired and more put together. "I remember thinking, 'Am I really doing this?'" Rankin, a 24-year-old advertising agent from New York who likes to shop at Sephora, told CNBC. "But once I tried it, it just became normal."
Gen Z is aging into the life moments that define entire industries. As this generation moves through milestones like marriage, homeownership, and family planning, they're quickly becoming a core target market not just for weddings, but for a wide range of service-based businesses. What matters for these small businesses is how Gen Z's arrival, set against today's economic backdrop, is reshaping expectations for how they serve their customers.
Every January, we're bombarded with resolutions rooted in consumption-buy this, try that, subscribe to something new. For Gen Z, this consumer-first vision of the New Year feels outdated and hollow. Instead, Gen Z is turning to peers for a community-driven "soft start" to the year ahead. Popularized on TikTok, January resets offer a modern alternative to the outdated idea of resolutions. This shift from consumer-driven goals to community-supported resets is especially visible in how Gen Z is approaching health and wellness in 2026.
1. Outdated media mix models offered by major consulting houses weight older media forms like broadcast and cable more than new forms of media or ignore them completely. 2. Media fragmentation has muddied the marketplace with hundreds of new channels. 3. New media forms don't have or haven't built platforms allowing advertising at scale. 4. Bureaucracy. Large marketing organizations are slow movers, despite audiences moving elsewhere. 5. Change is hard. Lazy marketers stick to what has worked in the past, ignoring audience shifts.
For millennials, if you ask them what their styles or preferences were, you'd get a cheerleader or an athlete, or nerdy or gothic - you had sort of one label that you had to fit into, Nakajima said. With our Gen Z audience, we're seeing that it's very different.
Mass protests in Nepal and Madagascar toppled both governments this year, even when the young people at the forefront of the demonstrations were faced with heavily armed police and the threat of arrest. Many called 2025 the year of the protest although the revolution in Bangladesh in 2024 that unseated the authoritarian leader Sheikh Hasina is often credited with inspiring young people to take to the streets across parts of Asia and Africa.
Gen Z is never beating the " unemployable " allegations. For Gen Z, a growing confidence crisis means common workplace interactions are now a major source of anxiety. Working with unfamiliar colleagues, making small talk, using the phone, and waking up early were among the biggest anxieties for young workers, according to new research from Trinity College London. These fears have also been echoed online.
It used to be curry sauce, egg yolk and red wine that ruined Britain's clothes but in a sign of the times laundry detergents are being reformulated to tackle stains left by matcha lattes, Aperol spritz and bubble tea. In a month when year-end gongs are dished out, from BBC Sports Personality to Pantone's Colour of 2026 (a white called cloud dancer), matcha has received the dubious accolade stain of the year.
Collectible card games were the most-purchased secondhand product category for Gen Z in the US on eBay so far this year, according to data from the e-commerce platform. The trend was especially clear among Gen Z men, who collectively shifted spending from electronics to trading cards and other collectibles, according to eBay. Trading cards were also the top secondhand sales category among Gen Z women on the platform, followed by books and cameras.
The housing market only continues to look more bleak for younger generations-and it shows. The average age for a first-time homebuyer recently jumped to 40, signaling the housing market is starved for affordability. And younger generations are so disappointed and frustrated by the state of the housing market they're spending more of their earnings than they're saving, working less, and making risky investments, according to a recently published paper by Northwestern University and University of Chicago researchers.
Few brands have captured the zeitgeist quite like Pink Palm Puff (PPP). With their signature embroidered hoodies and holiday pajama sets that blend cozy comfort and coastal-preppy style, PPP has exploded into a cultural staple, amassing nearly one million TikTok followers and a sprawling audience across all social platforms. Each product drop turns into a viral event, solidifying the brand's role as a bonafide pillar for originality and style in today's youth fashion landscape.
Once influenced by the brands themselves, today's cultural trends are now shaped by Gen Z. The same traits that make this generation unique - their eye for "what's next," their focus on authenticity, and their prioritization of brand values - can be pain points for brands that aren't marketing with intent. To build loyalty with Gen Z brands need to advocate meaningfully, tap into communities to stay ahead of trends, and lean on like-minded partners.
Homebuyers may experience a reprieve in 2026 as price normalization and an increase in home sales over the next year will take some pressure off the market-but don't expect homebuying to be affordable in the short run for Gen Z and young families. The "Great Housing Reset" will start next year, with income growth outpacing home-price growth for a prolonged period for the first time since the Great Recession era, according to a Redfin report released this week.
