Less than half of Gen Z is ready to give their mental health a positive rating
According to the publication in Fast Company, the emotional struggles of Gen Zers—people born between 1997 and 2012—have been well documented in recent years. Still, questions remain about what makes this group so different from previous generations.
According to a new study from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation (WFF), which surveyed more than 3,000 Americans in the age group, Gen Zers have crushing worries. They’re concerned about earning a solid paycheck, gun violence, and being prepared for the future—financially, and otherwise. That could be why less than half of Gen Z is willing to give their mental health an “excellent” rating—only 15% of them do.
“Less than half (47%) of Gen Z Americans are thriving in their lives—among the lowest across all generations in the U.S. today and a much lower rate than millennials at the same age,” said the report from Gallup-WFF.
Past research into Gen Z’s mental health has been jarring, too, reads the publication in Fast Company. A 2018 survey from the American Psychological Association showed that more people from that age group ranked their mental health as fair or poor than previous generations, and pointed to the state of the nation as the most significant stressor. A 2022 study logged 70% of Gen Zers saying their mental health needs the most attention or improvement, when compared with other areas of well-being.
The generation daring to discuss mental health issues
It is important to emphasize that members of Gen Z—who largely grew up with more discourse around mental health—are also more inclined to report such struggles. Quite simply, Gen Z might be the first age group with the language to identify issues like anxiety and depression more broadly, the source suggests.
Still, while they’re definitely talking more about mental health challenges, the stressors do seem to be coming from all angles, according to the publication. That’s probably why no one has really been able to identify exactly what is causing so much anxiety for Gen Z: It’s actually everywhere.
As per the report in Fast Company, studies consistently show that social media is dragging down this generation’s spirits, but the state of the world isn’t improving too notably, either. Poverty, inflation, crushing debt (which impacts major life choices), and a host of other issues seem to be pointed straight at Gen Z.
Members of Gen Z are the driving force for changes in society. They also are the ones who dare to discuss the issues that young people are facing. Although emotional well-being is not a new topic, Gen Z has made these discussions happen more frequently. The questions on how to help young people deal with mental crises and how to convince them to put more effort into improving their emotional well-being will definitely be the subjects for future My Impact publications.