Millennials and Gen Zs have long pushed for social change, but many survey respondents now feel the world is at a pivotal moment.
After a year of intense uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability, racial discord, and severe climate events, millennials and Gen Zs around the world are determined to hold themselves and others accountable for society’s most pressing issues.
The events of the past year have shifted their top personal concerns. Healthcare, disease prevention and unemployment climbed up the list. But climate change and protecting the environment remains a top issue, coming in at No. 1 for Gen Zs and third for millennials. The survey also reveals that millennials and Gen Zs have serious misgivings about discrimination and inequality.
Millennials and Generation Zs came of age at the same time that online platforms and social media gave them the ability and power to share their opinions, influence distant people and institutions, and question authority in new ways. These forces have shaped their worldviews, values, and behaviours
Digital natives’ ability to connect, convene, and create disruption via their keyboards and smartphones has had a global impact. From #MeToo to Black Lives Matter, from convening marches on climate change to the Arab Spring, from demanding eco-friendly products to challenging stakeholder capitalism, these generations are compelling real change in society and business.
The lockdowns resulting from the COVID -19 pandemic curtailed millennials’ and Gen Zs’ activities but not their drive or their desire to be heard. In fact, the 2021 Deloitte Global Millennial Survey suggests that the pandemic, extreme climate events, and a charged socio-political atmosphere may have reinforced people’s passions and given them oxygen.
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