Millennials Vs Gen Z: Key Facts About Them

In a social media battle that ensued yesterday between two generations, the Millenials and Gen Zer’s, some people are somewhat left puzzled by the who is who.

Before yesterday, several people have not come across the word ‘Gen Zer’, which sounds strange. Gen Zer is short for generation Z also called the Zoomers. Generation Z is a demographic cohort succeeding the Millenials and preceding the Generation Alpha. Australia McCrindle Research Centre classifies Generation Z as those born between 1995 and 2009, according to UPI starts 1995 while others are between 1995-1996. However, Pew Research Center defines Generation Z as people from 1997 upwards based on experimental purposes. 

Millennials, also known as Generation Y (or simply Gen Y), are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years, with 1981 to 1996 being a widely-accepted defining range for the generation. Most millennials are the children of baby boomers and early Gen Xers; millennials are often the parents of Generation Alpha.

Key Difference Between The Millennials and the Gen Z’ers

1. Less Focused

Today relevant is constantly being refined and Gen Z lives in a world of continuous updates. Gen Z processes information faster than other generations thanks to apps like Snapchat, Twitter, and Ticktock. Thus their attention spans might be significantly lower than Millennials.

2. Better Multi-Taskers

Though Gen Z can be less focused than their Millennial counterparts, in school, they will create a document on their school computer, do research on their phone or tablet, while taking notes on a notepad, then finish in front of the TV with a laptop, while face-timing a friend. You get the picture.

Gen Z can quickly and efficiently shift between work and play, with multiple distractions going on in the background…working on multiple tasks at once. Talk about multi-multi-tasking. Just think about how this kind of flow might reshape the office.

3. Bargains

Millennials care more about prices than Gen Z. This is arguably because they came of age during the recession.

Sixty-seven percent of millennials surveyed said that they would go to the website to get a coupon, whereas only 46% of Gen Z polled said they would do the same.

Millennials also tend to click on more ads; 71% of Millennials in a recent poll said they followed an advertisement online before making a purchase, however, only 59% of Gen Z’ers said the same.

4. Gen Z is Full of Early Starters

Many employers are predicting that more teens, between the ages of 16 and 18 will go straight into the workforce, opting out of the traditional route of higher education, and instead of finishing school online, if at all. Would you make a major investment, possibly leading to years of debt (student loans) to come—knowing there are new, more affordable (not to mention more convenient) online alternatives coming up every day?

As we’ll discuss later in this post, Gen Z knows the true value of independence, and knowledge is no exception here. If a Gen Z’er knows they are capable of learning something themselves, or through a more efficient, non-traditional route, you can bet they’ll take the opportunity.

5. Gen Z Is More Entrepreneurial

According to Gen Z marketing strategist Deep Patel, “the newly developing high tech and the highly networked world have resulted in an entire generation thinking and acting more entrepreneurially.” Generation Z desires more independent work environments. As a matter of fact, 72% of teens say they want to start a business someday.

One apparent recurring factor you might notice throughout this post is that many Gen Z identifying factors can be traced back to the recession in 2008, from their frugality to their value of experiences, and increased likelihood to become entrepreneurs. 

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6. Gen Z Has Higher Expectations Than Millennials

Millennials remember playing solitaire and crossword puzzles, coming home to dial-up the internet, and using AOL which takes forever to come up. Generation Z was born into a world overrun with technology. What was taken as amazing and inspiring inventions, are now taken as a given for them.

“When it doesn’t get there that fast they think something’s wrong. “They expect businesses, brands, and retailers to be loyal to them. If they don’t feel appreciated, they’re going to move on. It’s not about them being loyal to the business.”  That is why the cancel culture is at an all-time high

7. Gen Z Is Big On Individuality

Gen Z’ers were born social. In fact, nearly 92% of Gen Z has a digital footprint. Arguably as a result of the celebrities and media they follow, Gen Z seeks uniqueness in all walks of life primarily through the brands they do business with, future employers, etc.

8. Gen Z Is More Global

Millennials were considered the first “global” generation with the development of the internet, but as more of the world comes online — Generation Z will become more global in their thinking, interactions, and relatability. 58% of adults worldwide ages 35+ agree that “kids today have more in common with their global peers than they do with adults in their own country.” Diversity will be an expectation of Generation Z.

After asking people “Would you call yourself addicted to your digital devices? (computer, smartphone, etc.),” we found Gen Z’ers are 25% more likely than Millennials to say they are addicted to their digital devices. A full 40% of Gen Z are self-identified digital device addicts. This generation grew up with technology, and for them, it’s probably hard to go without their devices.

9. Diversity

Gen Z is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations.