Alexis Kayser – Monday, January 23rd, 2023
Generation Z is known among their predecessors for demanding difference: different workplace norms, different social initiatives, different technological approaches. They’ll want a different healthcare industry, too, as many literally wear their health metrics on their sleeve.
Members of Gen Z are tracking their health with apps and wrist watches, seeking out supplements and prioritizing physical exercise. But they are also prone to social media misinformation and struggle with mental illness at higher rates, according to a recent report from management consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
The report was written after two years of focus groups and an online survey of 10,000 people in the U.S. and U.K. All participants were between the ages of 18 to 25.
Ten key takeaways from Oliver Wyman:
They’re serious about supporting health with technology.
- Generation Z is twice as likely to go to social media for medical information.
- Twenty-five percent of Gen Z wears a fitness or sleep tracker, like a Fitbit or Apple Watch.
- Nearly 20 percent track their food and water intake with an app.
They are more concerned with physical fitness than previous generations.
- Fifty percent of Gen Z reports regularly working out, compared to 45 percent of people from other generations.
- Twenty percent of Gen Z meditates and uses a wellness app. For comparison, 14 percent of people from other generations report meditating, and nine percent regularly use a wellness app.
- Seventeen percent of Gen Z takes personalized supplements, compared to 8 percent of people in other generations.
They are more open to conversations about health, mental and physical.
- Gen Z is twice as likely to share personal health information for guidance on navigating the healthcare sphere.
- They struggle with mental health issues 1.9 times more than other generations — but 24 percent attend therapy online or in person, compared to 11 percent of people from other generations.
- Gen Z is 63 percent more willing to discuss menstrual cycles, 41 percent more willing to discuss addiction and 20 percent more willing to discuss mental health than their predecessors.
They care about price more than privacy
- More than half of Gen Z would share their health information — such as measurements tracked by a wearable device — with their insurer, an app, or a retail clinic in exchange for lower healthcare prices.
