By Kelly Callahan-Poe, President, Williams Whittle

In February 2024, Williams Whittle conducted a third annual survey of 12–27-year-olds (“Gen Z”) throughout the United States in order to understand their media habits and preferences. Minors were required to gain parental permission before participating.

Here are the top-12 insights.

Insight #1: Gen Z prefers to communicate with friends and family by text, and by email with teachers, school, and co-workers.

Insight #2: Gen Z spends one to three hours a day on social media, and is most active on Instagram. Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok are all neck and neck in terms of usage. Impressions of the various social media channels vary widely.

Insight #3: Gen Z primarily uses social media to view content. When they do post they always or almost always include photos or videos.

Insight #4: Most respondents follow influencers and/or micro-influencers on social media. The top influencers range from American media personalities to YouTubers, TikTokers, and podcasters.

Insight #5: Most Gen Zers follow celebrities on social media. Largely, Gen Z views music stars, actors/actresses and professional athletes as celebrities.

Insight #6: Gen Z is responsive to social media advertising. Most have clicked on a social media ad and most purchased something that was previously advertised to them on social media. The top platform that Gen Z purchased from is Instagram, but TikTok is popular as well.

Insight #7: Gen Z follows many organizations and nonprofits on social media.

Insight #8: Social media could be the gateway to philanthropy for Gen Z. One-third have donated to a cause on social media. The cause that Gen Z cares about the most is Poverty/Human Service Charities. This is followed by Animal, Health, and Environmental Charities.

Insight #9: Most Gen Z respondents listen to podcasts. The types of podcasts they listen to range from political to true crime to advice and comedy shows.

Insight #10: Online streaming is very popular with Gen Z. Most subscribe to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney. In terms of audio, most listen to Spotify, but listenership to traditional AM/FM radio is very low.

Insight #11: In terms of news consumption, a whopping 66% of Gen Z gets most of their news from social media. Nearly all respondents use online search engines to research new products, brand, and ideas, and two-thirds use social media.

Insight #12: Gen Z is aware of how social media affects their mental health. When asked about the impact of long-term social media use, respondents reported mixed emotions.

These insights provide a roadmap for organizations to understand Gen Z better and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly. By aligning with Gen Z preferences and behaviors, organizations can foster stronger relationships with their supporters.

Download the full survey to learn:
– Gen Z impressions of Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, BeReal, Facebook, Reddit and Threads.
– Top celebrities and influencers they follow on social media.
– Top nonprofits and organizations they follow on social media.
– The nonprofits/charities they would donate to if they had $10,000 to give.

Click here to view or download the full report.

About the author: Kelly Callahan-Poe is President of Williams Whittle, a Capitol Communicator sponsor.