Gen Z Are Rebelling Against Adulthood - What’s Next?

As the world gets more dire, politics gets angrier and the climate apocalypse brings snow to Hawaii, young people are increasingly looking for an escape from the traditional responsibilities of adulthood. This was the conclusion of several new pieces of research, including a study from the Pew Research Center on how young adulthood today compares with previous generations.

One of the results of this shift is that for the first time ever, women over 30 are having more babies than younger women. Another is that crazy experiences like the “Weaving Project” in London are encouraging people to revisit their childhood by climbing magical rope structures or jumping into massive bean bags.

According to JWT Intelligence’s SONAR research, consumers are rebelling against traditional ‘adulthood’ and embracing a more carefree mentality: 52% of Americans aged 20-29 and 47% of those aged 30-45 believe that people never truly become adults. So what does all of this mean?

It is no longer enough to focus on function and benefits alone. The best products and services that win with this new audience will also promote whimsy and delight along with the “softer side” of an experience that demonstrate it is worth having. A long time ago, the consumer question used to be: “where’s the beef?”

Today the question might be ... “where’s the fun?”