To borrow a song lyric from a popular baby boomer band, it seems like Gen Z “can’t get no satisfaction.”
Just 45% of Gen Z – a generation born roughly between 1997 and 2012 – are considered to be thriving, according to a new report from Gallup released Tuesday. That’s the lowest level in three years.
Close to 3,800 respondents ages 13 to 28 were surveyed from May 16 through May 27 for this 2025 Voices of Gen Z study from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. Per a press release, “thriving” is defined as respondents rating their current lives positively, along with their outlook for the next five years.
According to Gallup, the sinking thriving ratings were fueled by Gen Z adults, with only 39% thriving, a five-point drop from last year. In particular, adult Gen Z women’s thriving rating dropped from 46% last year to 37% this year. LGBTQ adults were also less likely to say they were thriving.
“Despite this decline in wellbeing, Gen Z’s optimism for the future remains high. Over three-quarters of all Gen Zers (77%) agree or strongly agree they have a great future ahead of them, unchanged from 2024,” said Gallup.
As for those more likely to say they were thriving, Gallup said that Black Gen Zers were more likely to say so than other ethnic groups, as well as Gen Zers who attended church services. Additionally, 56% of Gen Z middle and high school students said they were thriving – similar to previous years. Reported classroom engagement is also on the rise among younger Gen Zers, with every element of engagement hitting record levels for this cohort.
“Similar to the wellbeing trend, Gen Z adults are 11 points less likely than Gen Z students to agree they have a great future ahead of them,” Gallup said. Indeed, 56% of Gen Zers said they are prepared for the future, up from 49% last year and 44% in 2023.
Public health officials have previously warned about a loneliness epidemic in the U.S. Economic pressures have impacted Gen Z since the Great Recession hit during their early years and only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late July, the Bank of America 2025 Better Money Habits financial education study of Gen Zers age 18 to 28 found that 72% of Gen Zers were taking steps to improve their financial health and 41% were cutting back on spending. While the survey found that more than half of Gen Z men and women spent $0 on dating, Audacy previously reported in research that indicated they were spending big on breakups.
Yale’s Institution for Social and Policy Studies’ Democratic Innovations program also conducted the Yale Youth Poll this year to track opinions among Gen Z voters. In its sample of 4,100 self-reported registered voters, those aged 22 to 29 favored Democratic candidates in the 2026 congressional elections by a margin of 6.4 percentage points, while voters aged 18 to 21 preferred Republicans by a margin of 11.7 points.
“That surprised me,” said Jack Dozier, deputy director of Yale Youth Poll and a rising junior. “Young people are traditionally thought of as the more liberal age group. And it’s true that voters who are 18 to 29 years old are more progressive than those over 30. But we are also now seeing how those within this group who went through high school during the COVID-19 pandemic are significantly more conservative.”
He said the results show that the pandemic fundamentally affected the way younger people view government. That leaves them more open to new conservative voices popular on social media, Yale explained.