Gen Z anxious about returning to groups post-pandemic - research
Birmingham engagement and insights agency for young people Beatfreeks has released its new report: 'The Second Dose', which reveals that more Gen Zs feel anxious about returning to large groups in public post-pandemic, than feel excited about it.
37 per cent of over 2000 Gen Zs surveyed said they felt anxious about either big events, public spaces with lots of people or feeling in close proximity to a large number of others, whereas just 4 per ceny said they feel excited about being around big groups in public again.
When asked about habits they had developed during the pandemic, 78% said they continue to wear a mask in some capacity, with nearly 20% opting to always wear their mask indoors.
The Beatfreeks National Youth Trends report surveyed over 2000 young people across the UK aged between 16 and 25, categorised as Gen Z, in September 2021. The research was conceived to platform young people 's voices in order to make institutions more relevant, democratic and responsive to the needs of Gen Z. It followed up on Beatfreeks ' first piece of research about the impact of COVID-19 on 16-25s in the UK, Take the Temperature, which was conducted and launched in April 2020.
The young people spoken to also reflected on how the pandemic had affected their future, with over half believing that COVID has affected their long term plans for the next 3-5 years and nearly half felt they were left with fewer opportunities for work.
When asked about the working arrangements, only 8% said they wanted a fully remote role going forwards, and 1 in 3 felt that the pandemic had made them more productive.
Anisa Morridadi (pictured), founder of Beatfreeks, said: “Since March 2020, a whole new set of myths have developed about how young people have experienced and handled the pandemic, and what they 're looking for now that we 're seeing light at the end of the tunnel. This report suggests to us that those at the middle or end of their careers will have a very different vision of the future to those at the beginning. These futurists - who have decades ahead of them - are considering the longest term vision of how we can build society post-pandemic. A huge portion of them are Gen Z.
“Working with Gen Z on their vision of the future is the most effective way to sustain organisations and build the Institutions of the Future. In understanding, learning from and working with young people to forge culture, to change narratives, and to challenge norms, organisations will slowly begin to change today, so that they 're still around tomorrow. ”