Generation Z explained: UK data on how Gen Z communicate

Alastair Greener FPSA Generational communication expert, author and President of the PSA UK and Ireland 2026 Published 5 September 2026 · 13 min read

Generation Z were born between 1997 and 2012, so they are aged 14 to 29 in 2026. In our 2024 UK survey of 4,067 people, 982 of them Gen Z, they were the generation most likely to message rather than phone, to leave voicenotes and to want feedback at work at least weekly. This guide sets out what the data shows, tests five stereotypes against it, and explains how to communicate with and manage Gen Z.

71%of Gen Z find it easier to connect with people close to their own ageCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

45%of Gen Z workers want feedback on their performance at least weeklyCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

53%of Gen Z would send a message rather than leave a voicemailCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

81%of 18 to 21 year old workers are ambitious to move up in their careerCommunication Habits and Preferences 2024

Generation Z is the most searched and most misunderstood generation in the UK workplace, and much of what is written about them is American or anecdotal. This guide is built instead on our 2024 survey of 4,067 people in the UK, including 982 Gen Z respondents aged 13 to 27, and on the Generations in the Workplace Study 2023 of British HR managers.

Who are Generation Z?

Generation Z (Gen Z) are the people born between 1997 and 2012, which makes them 14 to 29 years old in 2026. They follow the Millennials (born 1981 to 1996) and come before Generation Alpha (born 2013 to 2024). These are the Pew Research Center cut-offs, which our 2024 survey's age bands follow; the full table is on our generations explained page. Boundaries are conventions, not facts: someone born in 1996 or 1997 is a "cusper".

What frames British Gen Z is the world they grew up in. The oldest were children during the 2008 financial crash and the austerity that followed, teenagers when the country voted for Brexit in 2016, and many saw tuition fees in England rise to £9,000 a year. Then Covid closed schools, universities and first jobs in 2020, so a large slice of this generation sat exams, graduated or started work through a screen, with a cost of living squeeze to follow.

They are also the first generation to have had a smartphone for most of their conscious lives: 98% of the 13 to 15 year olds in our survey have their own mobile phone, and 30% first got one at 10 or younger. Our 982 Gen Z respondents were split into four age bands: 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 21 and 22 to 27.

Three personality findings set Gen Z apart. 71% find it easier to connect with people close to their own age, compared with 54% of Millennials, 39% of Gen X and 36% of Baby Boomers. 42% describe themselves as perfectionists, against 23% of the Silent Generation. And 45% say they are among the first to try new things, against 26% of Gen X and 15% of Baby Boomers.

How does Gen Z communicate?

Gen Z communicate by message first, voice second and email a distant third. 87% use WhatsApp, 74% use Instagram and 66% use Snapchat to keep in touch, 85% leave voicenotes, and 53% would rather send a message than leave a voicemail. Only 10% send emails more than once a day, and only 32% like phone calls and make them a lot.

Communication habit (2024 survey)	Gen Z	Millennials	Gen X	Baby Boomers
Use WhatsApp to communicate	87%	91%	80%	72%
Use Snapchat to communicate	66%	27%	9%	3%
Use emojis or stickers "all the time"	43%	39%	24%	13%
Ever leave voicenotes	85%	75%	56%	45%
Send emails more than once a day	10%	28% to 30%	37%	28% to 30%
Like phone calls and "do it a lot"	32%	35%	35%	49%
Would leave a voicemail if a call went unanswered	12%	16%	28%	46%
Have ever used an AI platform such as ChatGPT	59%	48%	29%	13%
Use social media much	91%	86%	69%	44%

Source: Communication Habits and Preferences 2024, our survey of 4,067 UK people (Millennials are labelled Gen Y in the survey).

WhatsApp is the common ground: 87% of Gen Z use it, and it is the most likely way they will contact a friend or relative (35%); only 19% would phone. The second tier is where Gen Z differ: 66% use Snapchat and 61% use TikTok, against 9% and 13% of Gen X. 85% leave voicenotes and 20% do so more than once a day; 44% of Gen X never have.

Email has become a work tool: only 10% of Gen Z send emails more than once a day, against 37% of Gen X, and 13% of Gen Z aged 16 and over have never posted a personal letter or card. 91% use social media much, and 32% of those spend four hours or more on it a day. 59% have used an AI platform such as ChatGPT, 59% talk to friends through online games, and 38% most often pay by smartphone when out.

What does Gen Z want at work?

Gen Z workers want frequent feedback, room to get on with things and a clear path upwards. 45% want feedback from their boss at least weekly, 81% of 18 to 21 year olds and 82% of 22 to 27 year olds are ambitious to move up in their career, and 55% of 18 to 21 year olds believe formal procedures and policies restrict people.

Feedback. 45% of Gen Z workers would like feedback at least weekly: 15% as often as possible, 8% daily and 22% weekly. By contrast 17% of Baby Boomers want it only once a year. In practice 10% of Gen Z get feedback daily and 19% weekly, and 41% of all workers get feedback less often than they would like.

The office. Only 34% of 18 to 21 year old workers ever work from home; among 22 to 27 year olds the figure is 56%. 55% of 22 to 27 year olds who work from home say they are more productive at work, the highest of any generation. We examined this in Why won't Gen Z work in the office?.

Networking. 61% of 22 to 27 year olds have jobs that involve networking in person, yet 32% of them would prefer to do it online and 23% of Gen Z only network if told to. Only 18% of 18 to 21 year olds who use video calls for work like them and do so a lot.

Ambition and autonomy. Ambition to move up runs at 81% and 82% among Gen Z workers, against 20% of Baby Boomers, and 47% of 22 to 27 year olds already manage people. 61% of 18 to 21s prefer to work by themselves, and 31% do not mind hurting feelings a bit to get the job done, against 18% of Baby Boomers.

What HR sees. In the 2023 study, under 25s were among the easiest to recruit (31%, just behind 26 to 40 year olds on 34%) but the hardest to retain (10%) and to keep committed (13%). Patrick Quinton-Smith tackled that retention problem in Gen Z at Work, Retention, Engagement and the Real Cost of Ignoring It.

Why does Gen Z avoid phone calls?

Gen Z do not hate the phone, but most would rather not use it. 32% like speaking on the phone and do it a lot, 37% will but it is not their preference, 26% only phone if they have to and 5% hate it. If a call goes unanswered, 53% send a message instead and only 12% leave a voicemail. In their own words, a message gives them time to think.

By contrast 49% of Baby Boomers like talking on the phone and do it a lot, and 46% would leave a voicemail. Yet Gen Z are more willing than Gen X to answer an unknown number (36% against 24%), so the issue is the open-ended live conversation, not the ringing phone.

One 22 to 27 year old put it plainly: "I much prefer being able to message - give me time to process my response before replying. I find phone calls quite stressful". In the open comments, fear and anxiety around phone calls emerged as a distinct theme, driven by the immediacy and pressure of a real-time conversation. That is not a character flaw; it is the predictable result of growing up with channels that let you edit before you send (see Don't phone, I won't answer).

How do Gen Z communicate at school and university?

Gen Z students message first, prefer to learn in the classroom, dislike video calls for learning and want far more feedback than they get. 314 of our respondents aged 16 and over were full-time students, and 60% receive feedback from teachers or tutors less often than they would like.

To get hold of fellow students, 46% would prefer an instant message on social media, 45% a messaging app, 44% a text and 37% would go and see them in person; only 26% would phone and 18% would email. 61% of 13 to 15 year olds use platforms such as Google Classroom to talk to teachers and classmates.

57% of 16 to 17 year olds and 55% of 18 to 21 year olds feel more productive at school, college or university than at home, and 40% of students only use video calls for learning if they have to. 26% want feedback as often as possible, rising to 33% of 16 to 17 year olds. One 16 to 17 year old wrote: "Education in all aspects is behind the real world, but especially in communication".

Ruby Woodward, juggling A-levels with a record-breaking hospice fundraiser at 17, described friend "debrief dinners" in Gen Z, Grades and Giving Back.

Gen Z stereotypes versus the data

Five common charges against Gen Z, tested against the numbers.

"Gen Z are lazy." 81% of 18 to 21 year old workers and 82% of 22 to 27 year olds are ambitious to move up, four times the proportion of Baby Boomers (20%). The honest caveat is retention: only 10% of HR managers find under 25s the easiest group to retain. As Alastair told People Management: "Gen Z are not being lazy or entitled. Organisations need to accept that they view work differently".

"Gen Z are entitled." The evidence usually offered is that they want more feedback and fewer rules. 55% of 18 to 21s do think formal procedures restrict people, but so do 46% of Millennials, and 41% of all workers get less feedback than they would like. Gen Z are simply the most vocal.

"Gen Z are snowflakes." 31% of 18 to 21 year olds do not mind hurting feelings a bit so long as the job gets done, compared with 18% of Baby Boomers, and 42% are perfectionists. That is high self-expectation, not fragility. Dr Stacy Moore argued that Gen Z's emotional fluency is often misread as fragility in The Psychology of Generations.

"Gen Z can't talk face to face." 39% of Gen Z would visit a friend in person to say happy birthday, more than Millennials (31%), Gen X (30%) or Baby Boomers (29%). Choosing asynchronous channels is a preference, not an inability, and Danny Wang, who went from shy teenager to national public speaking champion, is a living rebuttal in The Art of Speaking Up.

"Gen Z won't work in the office." 55% of 22 to 27 year olds who work from home say they are more productive at work, and only 34% of 18 to 21 year old workers ever work from home. They resist pointless presence, not the office.

How to communicate with Gen Z

Message first, then talk. 53% of Gen Z would rather receive a message than a voicemail. Say what you want to discuss and when.
Give them time to process. Share the question before a meeting or call, not live.
Do not read informality as disrespect. 43% of Gen Z use emojis all the time; a thumbs-up is their register, not rudeness.
Match the channel to the purpose. Messaging for coordination, email for a record, a conversation for anything difficult.
Make voicenotes acceptable, or say why not. 85% of Gen Z leave them. Explain rather than tut.
Keep video calls short and purposeful. Only 18% of 18 to 21 year olds who use them like work video calls a lot.
Explain the reason behind the rule. 55% of 18 to 21s believe formal procedures restrict people; they follow a process more readily when they know what it protects.
Ask, do not assume. 71% of Gen Z find it easier to connect with their own age group, so the first conversation with an older colleague is the hardest. Curiosity, listening and non-judgement apply in both directions.

How to manage Gen Z

Move feedback from annual to weekly. 45% of Gen Z want feedback at least weekly; a five-minute check-in does it.
Show the path upwards. 81% of 18 to 21s and 82% of 22 to 27s are ambitious to move up; if they cannot see the next step with you, they will look elsewhere.
Give autonomy with clear outcomes. 61% of 18 to 21 year olds prefer to work by themselves. Define the result and the deadline, then check in rather than check up.
Make the office worth the journey. 55% of 22 to 27 year old home workers are more productive at work, so use office days for collaboration.
Rethink networking. 32% of 22 to 27 year olds would rather network online. Pair them with an experienced colleague and set a small goal.
Invest in onboarding. Under 25s are the hardest group to retain (10%) and to keep committed (13%); the first three months decide whether they stay.

Henry Farr: What Gen Z Wants at Work and Why It Matters: a young entrepreneur on workplace expectations and older colleagues.
Patrick Quinton-Smith: Gen Z at Work, Retention, Engagement and the Real Cost of Ignoring It: what actually improves retention.
Paddy Crump: Gen Z, Digital Wellbeing and Entering the Workplace: a 21 year old campaigner on starting work.
Danny Wang: The Art of Speaking Up: from shy teenager to public speaking champion.
James Stallabrass: What University Really Looks Like for Gen Z Students in 2026: a Durham student on why there is no typical student.
Kenan Noori: The 15-Year-Old Rewriting the Rules of Politics: the Nexus Party founder on evidence-based politics.

Full findings are on the Communication Habits and Preferences 2024 page; our multigenerational workplace guide covers managing five generations.

Frequently asked questions

What years are Gen Z born?

Generation Z were born between 1997 and 2012, which makes them 14 to 29 years old in 2026. These are the Pew Research Center cut-offs, which our 2024 survey's age bands follow. Boundaries are conventions, so someone born in 1996 or 1997 sits on the cusp between Millennials and Gen Z.

Is Gen Z lazy?

Not according to UK data. In our 2024 survey, 81% of 18 to 21 year old workers and 82% of 22 to 27 year olds were ambitious to move up, against 20% of Baby Boomers. As Alastair told People Management, Gen Z are not being lazy or entitled; they view work differently.

Does Gen Z want to work in the office?

More than the headlines suggest. 55% of 22 to 27 year olds who work from home say they are more productive at work, the highest of any generation, and only 34% of 18 to 21 year old workers ever work from home. They resist presence for its own sake.

How often does Gen Z want feedback?

At least weekly, for nearly half of them. 45% of Gen Z workers in our 2024 survey want feedback at least weekly: 15% as often as possible, 8% daily and 22% weekly. In practice 10% get it daily and 19% weekly, and 41% of all workers get less than they would like.

How does Gen Z prefer to communicate at work?

By message. 36% of Gen Z workers would prefer to reach colleagues through a messaging app, 28% of 22 to 27 year olds through a company platform such as Teams and 10% by voice note. 53% would message rather than leave a voicemail, and only 18% of 18 to 21 year olds like work video calls a lot.

What is the difference between Gen Z and Millennials?

Millennials were born 1981 to 1996 and Gen Z 1997 to 2012. In our 2024 survey they look similar on WhatsApp (91% and 87%) but diverge elsewhere: 66% of Gen Z use Snapchat against 27% of Millennials, 85% leave voicenotes against 75%, and 71% find it easier to connect with their own age group against 54%.

Book Alastair to speak about Generation Z at your next conference, leadership away day or HR event.

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