Generation Z faces backlash online and in person by older generations for a perceived lack of motivation and work ethic, according to recent research.
A study co-authored by Wharton professor Susan Wachter found that almost half of those aged 18-29 live with their parents, the highest level observed since the Great Depression. The share of young adults cohabitating with their parents has consistently risen since its 27% low in 1960, according to the study, and is continuing to increase.
“In the last two decades, the coresidence share of young adults has increased at a faster rate than in prior decades,” the study stated, attributing the increase to worsening housing affordability and an increase in unemployment.
“Since 2021, while income and housing costs have increased, rent and price appreciation have outpaced wage growth,” the study read. Increases in rent and price-income ratios from 2021 to 2023 offset the effects of increased unemployment, preserving the high rate of coresidence among young people.
As different times warrant different expectations, many younger students are crumbling under job markets, the cost of living, and mental health crises.
Young adults are also not experiencing the economic mobility that previously existed. The rising cost of living makes Gen Z more codependent on their parents or guardians — which many credit to weakness.
In addition to economic setbacks, Gen Z also faces an unprecedented amount of mental health obstacles. According to the Interactive Journal of Medicine Research, “these individuals experience high rates of anxiety and depression.”
Open discussion of mental health in society is something that did not exist for older generations. In 2008, the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act was signed into law, which “prevents group health plans and health insurance issuers that provide mental health or substance use disorder … benefits from imposing less favorable benefit limitations on those benefits than on medical/surgical benefits.”
Many universities have made steps to adapt to these challenges that Gen Z is facing. Penn’s Student Intervention Services was founded in 2002 and “enhances well-being, academic success, and personal growth,” according to its website. Penn Career Services also aims to help students in their job searches.
