Reviews
Part of Gen Z consumer behavior research: rules for a defensible study
Gen Z consumer behavior statistics: what to check before you quote them
Named Gen Z consumer behavior studies with fielding dates, some sample sizes and the caveats to check before quoting any figure in a deck or ad.
What to take away
Gen Z consumer behavior statistics worth quoting come from a handful of named research programs, and each one publishes its own fielding dates and sample sizes.
- Pew Research Center's 2024 teen survey found YouTube used by 90% of US teens aged 13 to 17, TikTok by 63%, Instagram by 61% and Snapchat by 59%.
- Deloitte's 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, fielded across 44 countries with 22,800 respondents, put cost of living ahead of climate as the top Gen Z concern for the first time.
- Pew's teen spending data puts median weekly spending near $40, with clothing and food the largest categories.
- Gallup's annual workplace report records the lowest engagement of any generation among Gen Z workers.
- The FTC's endorsement guides govern paid and incentivized reviews; any statistic built on review data has to survive that test.
- Every figure below carries a source, a fielding date and a sample size. Where a number is a projection, the text says so.
- Figures describe a sample, not a person. Segment before you spend.
What the named studies actually report
Each row names a study, the dates it was in the field and the number of people in the sample.
Named Gen Z studies at a glance
- 90%US teens using YouTube (Pew 2024)
- 63%US teens using TikTok (Pew 2024)
- 45%Gen Z naming cost of living top concern (Deloitte 2024)
- $40Median weekly teen spending (Pew 2024)
| Study | Fielded | Sample | What it reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024 | Sept 18 to Oct 10, 2024 | 1,391 US teens aged 13 to 17 | YouTube 90%, TikTok 63%, Instagram 61%, Snapchat 59%, Facebook 32% |
| Pew Research Center, teen platform tracking | 2014-15 wave compared with the 2024 wave | US teens aged 13 to 17 | Facebook named by 71% in 2014-15 and by 32% in 2024 |
| Deloitte Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey | late 2023 into early 2024 | 22,800 respondents across 44 countries | Cost of living named the top concern by 45% of Gen Z |
| Pew Research Center, teen spending and work | 2024 | US teens aged 13 to 17 | Median weekly spending near $40 |
| Gallup, State of the Global Workplace | annual, 2024 edition | workers in more than 150 countries | Gen Z reports the lowest engagement of any generation |
| Piper Sandler, Taking Stock With Teens | twice a year, spring and fall | US high school students | teen spending, brand and retailer preferences |
| NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics | annual back-to-school and back-to-college surveys | US consumers | household spending plans by category |
Read the sample column before the figure column. A 44-country survey and a US teen survey answer different questions. Use the row that matches your market rather than the row that flatters your pitch.
Platform tracking is where the movement shows. Pew's 2014-15 teen wave found 71% of US teens on Facebook; the 2024 wave puts it at 32%. TikTok does not appear in that early list and now sits at 63%.
YouTube has held the top spot in every recent wave, at 85% of teens in 2018 and 90% in 2024. Reach at that level suits awareness work more than narrow targeting.
Where the figures come from and where they stop
Pew fields its teen surveys by phone and online panel, weighted to US census benchmarks. Deloitte fields online across 44 countries, weighted by country. Neither is a census.
A figure of 90% YouTube use among US teens tells you the platform is near-universal in that sample. It does not tell you watch time, ad recall or purchase intent.
Other trackers publish on fixed cycles, so you can refresh a deck without new fieldwork. Piper Sandler runs Taking Stock With Teens twice a year. GWI's quarterly Core survey covers internet users in more than 50 markets.
Ofcom's annual Online Nation report breaks UK platform reach out by age. eMarketer publishes quarterly Gen Z media and retail forecasts. Each outlet posts a methodology note with its sample size and weighting.
For survey design and the difference between descriptive reporting and a controlled effect estimate, the NIST experimental design selection guidance starts with the objective and the practical constraint. Use it before you commission your own panel.
The integrity check on any review-derived number
If your Gen Z consumer behavior statistics come from reviews, ratings or testimonials, the FTC guidance for marketers using reviews sets the standard. It prohibits the following:
The integrity check
- no fake feedback
- no selective solicitation
- no conditioned incentives
- no hidden relationships
- no paid ranking
That applies to the data you collect and the data you cite. A statistic built on incentivized reviews is not a statistic about consumer behavior.
Checking a dataset before you use it
The GAO data reliability guide treats data quality in relation to intended use and calls for documented assessment.
Dataset reliability check before citing
- Source named, with a publication date
- Fielding method and sample size stated
- Population and geography defined
- Question wording available
- Margin of error reported
- Projection labelled as a projection
If a figure fails any line, cite it as context, not as evidence.
What the figures do not tell you
Cost of living leading Gen Z concerns in Deloitte's 2024 data does not mean price beats every other factor in a purchase. It means the concern ranked first in that survey, in that year.
The Pew teen spending median of roughly $40 a week is self-reported and covers a US sample. It is a useful planning anchor for a US campaign. It is not a global figure.
A 90% platform share measures reach, not attention. It says nothing about ad recall, basket size or willingness to pay.
For the underlying drivers behind these numbers, the factors shaping Gen Z consumer behavior breaks out income, household structure and platform access.
Worked example: sizing a US campus campaign
You have a Pew-style figure for weekly teen spending. You want a rough upper bound on a campus campaign's reachable spend.
Let S be median weekly spend per student, N the number of students in your target campuses, and W the campaign weeks. Reachable spend is S × N × W. That is a ceiling, not a forecast.
Substitute your own S, N and W. If S is $40, N is 5,000 and W is 4, the ceiling is $800,000. Your campaign does not capture all of it.
For the shape of that spend by category, the Gen Z consumer behavior overview covers the split between essentials, discretionary and impulse.
Where AI changes the workflow
The NIST AI RMF Playbook sets out voluntary actions under govern, map, measure and manage. Use it when a model touches survey coding, panel weighting or media planning.
It is not a certification and not a product ranking. It is a structure for documenting what a model did and who checked it.
Common questions
Where do the most-cited Gen Z statistics come from?
Pew Research Center, Deloitte, Gallup and the US Census Bureau supply most of the figures quoted in marketing decks. Each publishes fielding dates, sample sizes and methodology notes alongside the headline numbers.
Why do two surveys give different numbers for the same behavior?
Fielding method, sample frame, question wording and weighting all move the result. A phone survey and an online panel draw different people. Compare methodology before you compare percentages.
Can I use a survey figure in an ad?
Only with the source, date and sample attached, and only if the claim matches what was measured. The FTC endorsement guides govern advertising claims about consumers. Check with counsel in your jurisdiction before publishing.
How often should these figures be refreshed?
Annually for the major trackers, since Pew, Deloitte and Gallup publish on yearly cycles. Platform-level figures move faster and should be re-checked each quarter. For concrete cases behind the numbers, see Gen Z consumer behavior examples.
