2021 Millennial & Gen Z Survey

Marking the report’s 10th anniversary, the 2021 Millennial and Gen Z Survey provides a pulse check of millennials and Gen Zs and insight into their most pressing concerns.

We surveyed 14,600 millennials and 8,200 Gen Zs from 45 countries around the world. Millennials respondents were born between January 1983 and December 1994. Gen Z respondents were born between January 1995 and December 2003.

800 Australian millennials and Gen Zs (500 millennials and 300 Gen Zs) were included in the study, each with their own view on environmental issues, the workforce, inequality and racism.

Key findings from our Australian respondents include:

• The majority of Australian millennials and Gen Zs have adhered to their government’s public health guidelines either fairly or very seriously throughout the pandemic.
• Nearly seven in ten Australian millennials and Gen Zs claim that the pandemic has inspired them to take positive actions to improve their own lives, and a majority say that it has highlighted new issues for them and made them more sympathetic toward the needs of others in their local communities.
• Flexibility as well as technological savviness are felt to be the most critical employee characteristics, though Gen Z are more likely than millennials to view empathy and creativity as important.
• Nearly half of all Australian millennials and Gen Zs report feelings of anxiousness or stress either all or most of the time.
• Australian millennials who report feeling pandemic-induced stress are more reluctant than the global average to speak with their employer about it.
• There is growing optimism around Australia’s economy: around one third of Australian millennials (32%) and Gen Zs (35%) say the economy will improve by the end of the year, up from one fifth of millennials (19%) and Gen Zs (20%) in 2020.
• Just under half of Australian millennials (48%) and Gen Zs (47%) think businesses have a positive impact on society. Most Australian millennials and Gen Zs agree that business’ only focus on their own agendas and have no ambition beyond wanting to make money.
• Even in the midst of a pandemic, climate change stands out as Australian millennials’ (33%) and Gen Zs’ (33%) primary concern, as it does for Gen Zs globally (26%).
• Just under half of Australian millennials (49%) and Gen Zs (46%) claim wealth is unequally distributed in their country.
• Around half of Australian millennials and Gen Zs believe systemic racism is widespread in general society.

Previous editions

• The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2020
• The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2019
• The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2018
• The Deloitte Millennial Survey 2017

Published: July 2020