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Every chart in this report, derived from our ongoing global research, includes a hyperlink that directly connects you to the corresponding question on our platform. Here, you can delve into the data, exploring demographic trends, longitudinal insights, and audience-specific details.

Key insights

Millennials have entered a new life stage, reshaping their priorities, with a notable increase of 13% since 2020 in the number of US millennials emphasizing the importance of starting a family. Their focus has shifted towards achieving a better balance between work and personal life, influenced by the transformative impact of the pandemic.

Online behavior reflects a change, as millennials are now spending 48 minutes less per day online compared to 2017. Feeling overwhelmed and burnt out, capturing their attention within this condensed online window necessitates a deep understanding of the reasons behind this shift and identifying their preferred online platforms.

Nostalgia holds significant appeal for millennials, with over 60% enjoying screen adaptations and revivals of old media, particularly in the realm of movies. Recognizing the value of nostalgia, brands should emphasize connections with their audience’s past, reinforcing the reasons behind the initial brand connection.

Reliability emerges as a key quality valued by millennials in brands, gaining heightened importance during economic uncertainties. Ensuring the fundamentals are executed flawlessly holds considerable weight, especially given the fluctuating brand loyalty and trust in challenging times.

Millennials exhibit a competitive streak, notably online, with a strong inclination toward esports and game streaming. Understanding how millennials engage with these industries becomes crucial for brands, considering the potential challenges and opportunities associated with their involvement in these relatively young sectors.

The makeup of millennials

In the past 8 years, millennials have transitioned from early adulthood to fully-fledged adults, embracing relationships and responsibilities. In 2015, those starting families were a minority; now, aged 27-40, the number of married or expecting millennials has more than doubled. They constitute a significant portion of the workforce, with over three-quarters employed full-time—a 32% increase since 2015.

Examining shifts in priorities, the pandemic played a crucial role. According to GWI USA, the importance of family to US millennials increased by 13% since 2020. Unlike Gen Z, millennials prioritize family over success and are 14% more likely than the average American to value a good work-life balance.

The average millennial homeowner in the US now boasts a household income of nearly $118,000 per year, indicating a substantial rise of over $12,000 since Q2 2020. These transformations highlight the dynamic changes in millennials’ lives and priorities.

The differences between 2 Gen Z and millennials

While Gen Z and millennials share some commonalities, they are distinct generations with unique identities, as emphasized by Gen Z’s vocal self-expression. Zillennials, representing the crossover between Gen Z and millennials, form a unique class associated with spending on luxuries, vacationing, and often relying on parental support. Despite making strides in the workplace, zillennials are also considering starting families.

Commonalities arise from shared experiences of economic downturns, institutional challenges, and significant technological advancements shaping both generations. Millennials, influenced by the internet’s rise and digital milestones, passed on certain lifestyle choices and attitudes to Gen Z. Both generations, more prone than average to social media-induced anxiety, grapple with shared concerns like climate change and the cost of living, albeit Gen Z feels these pressures more acutely.

Despite these parallels, distinctions emerge upon closer inspection of their specific interests, with esports and extreme sports being the sole commonalities. Brands aiming to engage with these generations should be cognizant of these nuanced differences, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach is inadequate.

Navigating the Millennial Economy

Enduring the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and currently grappling with a cost-of-living crisis, millennials find themselves in challenging economic circumstances.

Approximately one-third of millennials across 12 markets express the need to cut costs, with around a fifth resorting to securing second jobs—a figure higher than any other generation.

The UK, facing a slower recovery from recent economic events, witnesses a 19% year-on-year increase in millennials anticipating worsening personal finances.

Examining millennials based on home ownership status reveals divergent financial outlooks. Outright homeowners exhibit increased financial optimism compared to pre-pandemic levels, while those with mortgages experience a 19% decline and renters face a 22% drop.

Volatility in interest rates compounds challenges for aspiring homeowners and raises concerns for those already on the property ladder.

As financial well-being significantly impacts spending behavior, brands should comprehend the financial hurdles millennials confront.

With dwindling consumer financial confidence, adjusting value propositions to align with a more cost-conscious mindset becomes imperative for brands seeking relevance in this evolving landscape.

The Table of Contents of “Meet the Millennials” Report :

• Discover our data
• Key insights
• The makeup of millennials
• Entertainment & media
• Social media
• How to engage millennials
• More from GWI
• Appendix
• Notes on methodology

Number of Pages:

• 33 pages

Pricing: 

• Free

Methodology & definitions

All figures in this report are drawn from GWI’s online research among internet users aged 16-64, or 16+. Our figures are representative of the online populations of each market, not its total population.

Note that in many markets in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region, low internet penetration rates can mean online populations are more young, urban, affluent, and educated than the total population.

Each year, GWI interviews over 970,000 internet users aged 16-64 in 52 markets via an online questionnaire for our Core data set.

A proportion of respondents complete a shorter version of this survey via mobile, hence the sample sizes presented in the charts throughout this report may differ as some will include all respondents and others will include only respondents who completed GWI’s Core survey via PC/ laptop/tablet.

When reading this report, please note that we focus on data from our ongoing global quarterly research, but also refer to our monthly Zeitgeist studies across 12 markets, and our GWI USA data set, which surveys over 20,000 Internet users in the US aged 16+ each quarter.

Throughout this report, we refer to indexes. Indexes are used to compare any given group against the average (1.00), which unless otherwise stated refers to the global average. For example, an index of “1.20” means that a given group is 20% above the global average, and an index of “0.80” means that an audience is 20% below the global average.