7 Fun Facts You Weren't Sure About Malaysian Gen Z Youths, Until Now
Generation Z also knows as Gen Z are born between 1995 to 2009.
A survey conducted on 500 Gen Z youths has led to some interesting discoveries. It was done via focus group discussions and in-home interviews by INTI International University and Colleges.
1. On the fear of losing out: The majority of the youths are super attached to the Internet. They feel incomplete if they're not connected.
Gen Z, also known as the ‘hyper-connected’ generation, spend an average of eight hours a day on the Internet, with some 41 percent feeling incomplete when not connected. They are connected constantly, whether actively or passively. More than 80% of the respondents look at between one to three screens daily with an average of 2.7 screens per day, with their smartphones as the main device.
2. On social media dependency: Facebook is the most used social media platform
94% of the respondents connect to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, 56% browse for information while 55% connect for instant messaging.
The high dependency to connectivity brings a “fear of being offline” for more than half of the respondents.
3. On Internet fraud: Youths are highly aware and worried about fake profiles and revealing their personal information
60% of the Gen Z are worried about the large presence of fake profiles on social networking sites, with 54% worried about disclosing their personal information.
This is caused by youths oversharing personal information that can be harmful if fallen into the wrong hands as identity fraud is becoming increasingly common.
4. On their careers: Gen Z are self-starters as the majority of them hope to do something new in their chosen work field
According to the study, 42% of the respondents want to do something completely new when making career choices, 37% hope to turn their hobbies into a profession and 31% want to be entrepreneurs.
“They are self-starters, wanting to be entrepreneurs to carve out their own unique career path. They are hungry to acquire skills such as creativity, time management, problem-solving, teamwork and leadership”, said INTI’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Rohit Sharma.
5. On the future: Youths are surprisingly worry warts. They worry most about chances of getting good jobs.
On the future outlook, the study reveals that 56% of the Gen Z worries of the struggle to find a good job, 44% worries over whether or not they will be accepted into a reputable higher education institution, and 42% of them worry about their family’s financial situation.
6. On measuring success: A high percentage of the youths deem a high salary as the benchmark
7. On social awareness: Gen Z youths are feel socially responsible to the world and society
28% want to do voluntary work and participate in activities that contribute to the well-being of the society. More youths have been getting involved in voluntary activities such as soup kitchens, animal sheltering and disaster relief programs