How optimistic students feel about their future and how prepared they feel for it are at odds.
A new survey of young people from Generation Z (those ages 12 to 27) shows that most respondents feel they have a bright future ahead, but only about half feel prepared for it. Those figures are significantly lower for students who don’t plan to attend college. Students who aren’t college-bound are also less likely to feel engaged with their classwork and supported by adults in the school building.
The survey was conducted by the Walton Family Foundation and the polling firm Gallup from April 26 to May 9, with responses from 4,157 Gen Z young people, including 2,317 enrolled in a K-12 school. It is the second iteration of the survey, first released in 2023. (The Walton Family Foundation provides support for Education Week coverage of strategies for advancing opportunities for students most in need. Education Week retains sole editorial control over its coverage.)
Here’s a look at how Gen Z students feel about their education experience, future opportunities, and what they consider the most important components of a “great life.”
More Gen Z people say they are ‘thriving’ in their lives
About half of Gen Z people say they’re thriving in their lives, up slightly from 47 percent in 2023. The largest increase between the 2023 and 2024 surveys was among Gen Z adults 18 to 27 years old. Forty-seven percent of that age group this year said they were thriving, up from 41 percent last year.
But whether members of Gen Z say they’re thriving differs depending on the path they pursued after high school.
Fifty-one percent of Gen Z adults this year said they were thriving in life, a six-point increase from 2023, when 45 percent said they were thriving. But the percentage of Gen Z adults with only a high school diploma who said they were thriving dropped from 2023 to 2024—to 35 percent from 37 percent.
Students’ future outlook varies depending on college plans
Students who don’t plan to attend college were less likely than their peers who are planning to pursue a post-secondary degree to have a positive outlook for their future. Just 68 percent of students with no college plans had a positive future outlook, compared with 81 percent with plans to pursue an associate degree and 86 percent who planned to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Students who aren’t college-bound are also less likely to agree they feel prepared for their future (40 percent) than those hoping to earn an associate degree (45 percent) or bachelor’s degree (54 percent), according to the survey results.
Their responses to another survey question could at least partially explain why. High schoolers in the survey reported that they were three to five times more likely to have heard a lot about applying to college at school (68 percent) than about other potential postsecondary paths, such as completing an apprenticeship or other variety of vocational training (23 percent), pursuing jobs that don’t require a college degree (19 percent), or starting their own business (13 percent).
When schools offer career-specific training—learning how to interview and apply for jobs, learning about available careers, and being able to complete internships and industry certificates, for example—students reported greater confidence in their ability to succeed in a career, according to the survey.
Wealth and status aren’t as important to Gen Z as other things
Most Gen Z respondents said having strong relationships with family and friends and having time to pursue hobbies are the most important components of a “great life.” Fewer prioritized being “wealthy” or having a “high-status job.”
Priorities varied depending on the age of the Gen Z survey respondents.
Those still in school were more likely to say obtaining their dream job and becoming wealthy were very important aspects of a great life. Meanwhile, Gen Z adults were more likely to prioritize getting married, having children, and volunteering in their community. Less than half of Gen Z adults said owning a home (45 percent) and having children (35 percent) are important parts of a great life.
Students who don’t plan to go to college are less likely to feel engaged and encouraged at school
Students who don’t plan to attend college were less likely than their peers to say they’re motivated to get good grades and that there’s an adult at school who encourages them.
Students who aren’t college-bound were also less likely to feel they learned something interesting at school recently and to feel challenged by their schoolwork.
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