53% of Gen Z in Australia feels uncertain about the future. The global issues Gen Z would like to tackle are global warming & climate change (40%), poverty (37%), racism (35%), health problems and virus outbreaks (30%), economic crisis and unemployment (22%), terrorism (21%), suppression and abuse of women (20%), LGBTQIA+ rights (18%), and gender inequality (21%). Breaking gender stereotypes is another theme that is significantly more present in Gen Z’s daily lives. 54% believes there are still too many gender stereotypes, 47% recognizes that gender identity can change over time, and 45% knows someone who prefers to be addressed with gender-neutral pronouns.
Social media makes it easy for Gen Z to use the collective power of their clicks to fight injustice. In fact, 28% follows social-media accounts about social justice, 22% voices their opinion about social issues on social media, and 12% participates in (online) protests.
So, what does this mean for brands? Gen Z challenges brands to demonstrate their ongoing social impact. Brands that try to jump on the bandwagon with one-off actions risk being called out for green-washing or rainbow-washing.