Millennials, Gen Zs see a better world emerging from COVID-19 crisis

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc on the economy and the lives of millions, Filipino millennials and Gen Zs remain optimistic that the world will overcome the crisis and move closer toward a more equitable society.

According to Deloitte’s “2021 Global Millennial and Gen Z Survey,” 85 percent of Filipino millennials, or those born between January 1983 and December 1994, and 79 percent of Gen Zs, born between January 1995 and December 2003, said they expect to see a more altruistic and compassionate postpandemic society.

These findings are based on a survey that gathered the insights of 14,655 millennials and 8,273 Gen Zs globally from Jan. 8 to Feb. 18 this year through online and self-complete-style interviews. Some 300 Filipino millennials and 100 Gen Zs participated in the study.

However, 46 percent of Filipino millennials admit to still feeling anxious and stressed. This is, nevertheless, an improvement from the 57 percent mark in 2020. Almost 70 percent of Filipino Gen Zs said they also felt stressed, with about eight out of 10 women saying that they feel anxious most of the time.

“This pandemic has had a particularly adverse impact on women, who have had to disproportionately take on additional household and caregiving responsibilities,” said Eric Landicho, Deloitte Philippines managing partner and CEO.

He added that more than 64 percent of Filipino Gen Zs were enrolled in a university or high school during the course of the survey so the shift to remote learning might have led to the feelings of distress.

Personal concerns

The millennials and Gen Zs from the Philippines said their families’ welfare was the main source of their anxiety. The Gen Zs indicated their physical and mental health as their next top stressor while millennials said their longer-term financial future also added to their stress and anxiousness.

For their greatest personal concerns, the Filipino Gen Zs cited corruption within business or politics as the most pressing issue. For the Filipino millennials, the most concerning matters are health care, disease prevention and unemployment.

In terms of compliance to the safety health measures imposed, nine of every 10 Filipino Gen Zs said they had “very” or “fairly” followed the government protocols and guidelines, as compared to the global tally of only 69 percent.

Nine out of 10 millennials and Gen Zs said they wore face masks regularly when going out in public places while nearly seven out of 10 millennials and Gen Zs said they opted to avoid public transportation and crowded areas.

The survey participants were also asked to share their perspectives on social inequalities and injustices that had a noticeable impact during the global crisis. Forty percent, or four out of 10 Gen Zs from the Philippines noted that they often feel discriminated against online by their own government and other businesses due to their backgrounds.

Discrimination

The most commonly cited causes of discrimination are people’s ethnicity and race, along with other factors that include one’s socioeconomic status, physical and mental disabilities and sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

Three out of every five Filipino millennials and Gen Zs said that systemic racism was widespread in the media, political system, society and police force.

To recall, it was also during the onset of the pandemic when George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, was killed by a police officer who pinned him down until he went limp and died. The incident sparked global outrage and movements to protest against racial injustice.

Also, while both Filipino millennials and Gen Zs indicated that the workplace is a setting where they are least likely to encounter discrimination, more than half of the respondents believe that racism is widespread in workplaces, too.

“These results reflect the tumultuous world these two generational cohorts are growing up in and perhaps also point to their distrust of established institutions. As we have seen during this pandemic, though, this hasn’t stopped them from taking action. If anything, it may have even fuelled their sense of activism as they mobilized to address the problems they were seeing in their communities, such as growing hunger and unequal access to education,” Landicho said.

Future prospects

On future prospects of the country’s economy, 24 percent of Filipino millennials said they expect the overall economic situation to worsen in the coming months, while 33 percent of the Gen Zs said they were also anticipating the similar decline.

Despite these, nine of 10 millennials and Gen Zs reported that the crisis has encouraged them to take the initiative of enhancing their personal lives, with eight of 10 saying that they have taken measures to have a positive impact in their communities.

In April, 26-year-old Patricia Non inspired a notable initiative to address food security, giving rise to around 6,700 community pantries across the country.

“Millennials and Gen Zs are generally values-driven, action-oriented generations, so even in the face of great disruptions and challenges, they are undeterred in their efforts to make positive changes in their communities,” Landicho said. INQ