Quality and value beat eco concerns for Gen Z in UK and US - survey

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jul 12, 2019

Generation Z students in the UK and US put pragmatism before any eco-friendly concerns when making purchasing decisions, a new survey by Unidays has revealed.

The Unidays Affdex report sampled 14,500 Gen Z consumers in the US and 3,000 in the UK, providing insights into the shopping attitudes of those born between 1995 and 2010.

It found that, for this age group, ethical concerns are less important than other more practical considerations such as product quality and style, with eco claims only making the top three considerations in 1 of the 12 industries included in the study.

Being ethical was considered a high priority for UK beauty consumers, while US students said it was important that companies in the banking sector had an ethical approach.

In fashion, students in the UK and US said it was more important for brands to produce ‘stylish’, ‘high quality’ clothes, with ‘great new ranges each season’ rather than behaving in an ‘environmentally responsible’ or ‘ethical’ way,” Net Imperative reported.

But eco concerns are still important to this generation, ranking in the top ten affinity drivers across all 12 industries in the Unidays report.

Alex Gallagher, Unidays chief strategy officer, said: “There are a huge range of factors that drive the way students feel about brands. While it’s revealing to see Gen Z’s stereotype doesn’t necessarily stack up, it’s important to note that ethical concerns are still important to this generation. Indeed, ethical concerns ranked in the top ten affinity drivers across all 12 industries Unidays examined.”

“What the Unidays Affdex shows is that Gen Z students, like all generations before them, are complicated consumers. Consumers entering the workforce and increasing their buying power each day. The companies looking to succeed, not just in the here and now, but in the future, will need to learn to treat them as more than a stereotype.”