It’s graduation season, and that means millions of young adults—the leading edge of Gen Z—are graduating from high schools across the nation, and making decisions about beginning their career or higher education. In addition to a growing religious apathy and other demographic shifts, a key characteristic of Gen Z is that their expectations are largely shaped around themes of academic and career success—more so than any other generation we’ve observed. Barna conducted a major study in partnership with Impact 360 Institute, available in our recent Gen Z report, and, below, we take a look at what we learned about teenagers’ views on identity, work and their futures.
Personal achievement, whether educational or professional (43%), and hobbies and pastimes (42%) are the things most central to Gen Z’s identity. Their responses stand out against those of their elders: Twice as many teens as Boomers strongly agree that these factors are important to their sense of self (22% and 24% in Boomers respectively), while older adults are more likely to say their family background and religion are central to their identity (one in three in Gen Z considers these important, but ranks them 5th and 6th as personally defining features).
Many in Gen Z are not yet clear about their mid-range goals (which is understandable, especially for younger teens). A plurality (42%) agrees only somewhat that “I have clear goals for where I want to be in five years,” while one-quarter disagrees (27%). In terms of priorities for the future, the majority of faith groups (except for engaged Christians, who are more religiously minded) prioritize either their personal interests or money.
