GEN Z: Report highlights the effect of COVID on youth

The pandemic has left Gen Z feeling voiceless, anxious, and concerned about support. Combine that with a worry over the spread of misinformation and a general fear that they don’t have access to the support they need and things may appear to be a little bleak for Gen Z right now.

A new report and survey created by Debut and Cov360 helps recruiters and employers to understand how the pandemic has shifted the way Gen Z thinks about their mental health, education, employment prospects, the vaccine, and misinformation in the media.

You can access the full report here: https://debut.careers/insight/debut-x-cov360-report/

Some of the key takeaways from the survey are:

50% of Gen Z respondents stated that they did not feel they had access to the support they need.

71% of respondents answered ‘no’ when asked if they felt heard (70% of women said they felt unheard, whereas only 50% of men said the same).

21% of respondents believe that private sector companies should invest in mental health services.

18% said that private sector companies should be allocating 1% of their profits to poorer communities.

13% of Gen Z respondents felt that employers should go as far as offering sponsorship for student studies if needed.

41% agreed and 45% strongly agreed that companies should employ public health experts for the wellbeing of their employees.

Gen Z are switched on to the issue of misinformation surrounding the pandemic, with a full 78% of respondents strongly agreeing that misinformation is a challenge, with a further 18% agreeing.

Gen Z flagged Tik Tok as the social media platform which is highly untrustworthy for COVID-19 related information, with the professional platform LinkedIn coming out on top.

The BBC is the most trusted news outlet for Gen Z’s to get information about the pandemic from, and the newspaper, The Sun, is the least.

When Gen Z were asked whether they’d take a vaccine, 53% said they would, but a full 21% said they wouldn’t want to (with 57% of men responding positively when just under half (49%) of women said they’d want it.

If you’d like to read the full report, you can access it here: https://debut.careers/insight/debut-x-cov360-report/

The survey ran from 27th November to 2nd December and was compiled of 443 respondents, all of whom were about to graduate or were recent graduates.

Avantika Vaishnav, Marketing Manager at Debut has commented on the research, saying: “The COVID-19 pandemic has tested healthcare systems worldwide while affecting people’s lives in various ways. In this survey, conducted by Debut in collaboration with Cov360, we asked students and graduates a number of questions regarding the pandemic across the areas of mental health, education and employment, media coverage, and the vaccine.

The Gen-Z respondents indicated a general decline in mental health during the pandemic, with levels of anxiety, depression, demotivation, anger, and fear significantly increasing. 49% of respondents believe they did not have access to mental support, with significant variations within ethnic groups.

The key takeaways are that Gen-Z feels generally unheard of in the wake of this pandemic. There is a general distrust in media and information, which may influence the decision-making process. As the generation that will have the biggest impact on the future, both employers and the government to provide the necessary support to such groups during the pandemic and help them adapt to a new world.”

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