Top insights for Gen Z marketing
By Lauren Meadows, Williams Whittle
In March 2023, Williams Whittle conducted a survey of 144 people between the ages of 11 and 26 (Gen Z) across the United States to better understand their media habits and preferences.
Minors were required to gain parental permission before participating. A similar study was conducted in 2022, allowing us to view how trends have shifted. Respondents were asked a variety of questions ranging from their preferred communication channels and social media platforms to their experience with ads on social media and donating.
Here are the five most notable takeaways.
1. Gen Z prefers to communicate by text.
The majority of the survey respondents favor text for everyday communication. However, this year we saw large increases in the preference for phone calls (up 21%) and FaceTime/similar video calling platforms (up 10%). Similar results were recorded when asked about communicating with friends, guardians, family members and relatives.
2. Gen Z remains the most active on Instagram.
When asked to record which social platforms are used most frequently, Instagram was firstv with over 84% citing regular use. Snapchat was next with 76% (up 7% from last year), followed by TikTok, YouTube, and Twitter. This year BeReal was added to the survey with 28% of respondents citing regular use.
3. Gen Z is responsive to social media advertising.
Nearly 80% of respondents reported they had clicked on a social media ad, the same as last year. Similarly, 75% reported purchasing something that was previously advertised to them on social media (up 4%), demonstrating the influence social media has on Gen Z.
4. Social media could be the gateway to philanthropy for Gen Z.
29% of respondents reported they had clicked on a social media ad. The median dollar value of those who donated was $1-10 (up 12%).
5. Gen Z continues to care the most about poverty/human service causes.
Health, animal, environmental, and racial justice charities round out the top five causes most important to Gen Z. There were increases in support for faith-based entities (up 14%), military/veteran (up 15%) and animal charities (up 5%). Respondents were also asked where they would donate $10k given the opportunity. Common responses included organizations to which they have a personal connection, health charities, and social justice nonprofits.
To read five other insights or to download a free copy of the full report, click here.
For more on “Ideas that Generate Change for Nonprofits”, visit the Williams Whittle website.
