Gen Z’s Approach to Health and Wellness: A Deep Dive into Gen Z as an Adult Wellness Consumer

STUDY OVERVIEW

More than half of Gen Z are now fully-fledged adult consumers, and around one-third are in their mid-twenties, when health and wellness habits tend to kick in as young adults move beyond college and into their working years. As the bulk of this generation moves out of the teen years and becomes responsible for their own habits, purchasing, and health, it’s time to take stock of how they approach nutrition and fitness so that we are prepared for the trends they will usher in.

 We know from our previous research on Gen Z that they’re highly educated about both physical and mental health. In this way, they’re very similar to Millennials, who largely shaped the health and wellness marketplace Gen Z will inherit, and who have long been trendsetters as health and wellness consumers. But is Gen Z actually different from Millennials? And if so, how different, and in what ways?

In this report, we explore how Gen Z adults approach and act on their health and wellness goals, and how they compare to Millennials when that generation was at the same life stage. As health-focused food and fitness brands look past Millennials to the next generation of consumers, it will be imperative to understand what makes Gen Z distinctive.

Contents:

1. Background, Methodology, Executive Summary, Key Takeaways
2. Gen Z Sizing and Life Stage: Gen Z is in a life stage defined by rapid change. Understand how these changes affect Gen Z’s health engagement and how they differ from Millennials when they were in their mid-twenties.
3. Gen Z and Nutrition: Gen Z report a high level of nutritional knowledge – but do they put it into action? Explore how they approach eating and nutrition, and what new needs they bring to the table.
4. Gen Z and Fitness: What does Gen Z want from fitness now that most of them are past high school sports? Explore their fitness motivations and how they’re shifting the conversation around exercise.
5. What’s New in Q2: Explore trended data highlights covering health engagement, priorities, performance, motivations, and nutrition and fitness behaviors for Q2 2024.