Happiness x Gen Z Sprint C+D

What, Why & How

The study aims to understand Gen-Z, their concept and manifestation of happiness with a focus on workplaces and what must companies do to foster a positive & efficient working environment for Gen-Z

Context, Objectives & Methodology

About Yuvaa

Yuvaa is India’s most loved Gen-Z driven youth media, insights and impact organization. We listen to the stories of young India and create purpose-driven solutions to make meaningful content online and start meaningful conversations offline.

We talk about urgent issues like youth empowerment, mental health, gender, sexuality, internet safety, misinformation, climate change and many more and have found great success in creating impact-driven content and entertainment and making these themes shareable and accessible to the youth of India. As the years have gone by, Yuvaa has explored its potential in all forms possible.

Our unique selling point is our youth community, and we take great pride in being a platform that listens to them. Our work is rooted in 4+ years of actively listening to the voices and stories of India’s Gen Z, and we strive to approach everything we do with empathy, kindness, and love.

Background

RPG launched their new brand tagline – Hello Happiness – to help form and dictate their work ethos.

Our Vision tenets clearly outline the path we will all collectively traverse – one that seeks to propel every RPGian to overcome their own limitations; one that will drive each of us to contribute and shape the lives of others around us positively; an organisation where dreams will not be bounded by fences.

Hello Happiness is a bold statement of confidence and purpose that helps us open our doors to a world of opportunities and possibilities; a statement that signifies our intent to touch and enrich the lives of others.

Research Objectives

Gen-Z understanding & illumination: context, beliefs, & future expectations

Happiness & Gen-Z: what does happiness mean for Gen-Z, what makes them happy & unhappy, and context & behaviors

Happiness

Gen Z

Through this research study, RPG aims to help their group of companies and other workplaces in India by understanding what happiness means for Gen-Z and how can RPG & other companies foster a positive & efficient work environment for the incoming youth.

Overall happiness and barriers, mental & emotional states and life context

Happiness in personal relationships – what are relationships like for Gen-Z, relationship expectations, maintaining relationships, and what is an ideal relationship for them

Happiness in society and the environment – their place in society, their experience of how society perceives them, the impact of society on their behaviors and expectations, what they want

Happiness at the workplace: understanding the current state, happiness goals, work practices to implement to create a Gen-Z-friendly work environment, Employee Policy, and Employeremployee relation- to create a happier work environment. and other workplaces in India by understanding what happiness means for Gen-Z and how can RPG & other companies foster a positive & efficient work environment for the incoming youth.

This study addresses the concerns of Indian employers preparing to

make their workplaces

Gen-z friendly

Indian employers have noticed a stark difference between their Gen-Z employees and others at work with different value systems, beliefs and ways of working and interacting. It is clear that business cannot run as usual and workplaces need to make changes to accommodate the incoming workforce in great numbers.

Growing dissatisfaction among the young workforce around the country and their expression on various social platforms have left employers questioning their work culture and trying different ways of attracting, employing & retaining Gen-Z employees.

With millions of Gen-Z entering the workforce every year who would shoulder the responsibility of sustaining these businesses, it is crucial for employers to understand this generation, their worldview, struggles, desires, the concept of happiness and expectations from their workplaces.

Research Methodology & Sample Size

Demographics Geography Research

Age: 18-25yrs

Gender: All

SEC: A + B

Lifestage: Non-working (students + gap year + interns) + Working

Professionals (>4months)

Centres: Metro (6) & Non-Metro (6)

Metro: Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & Hyderabad

Non-Metro: Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Guwahati & Bhubaneshwar

Research: Qualitative Immersions + Quantitative Survey

Qualitative: 24 Group Discussions + 48 personal interviews

Quantitative: 2500+ sample

Total Gen-Z Persons: 4000+

Secondary Research: 50+ research papers + 80+ articles

Qualitative Research Design

Recruitment Methodology and Quality Checks

Qualitative Research: all participants were handpicked after qualifying through the rigorous screener criteria based on-

◊ City, Age, Gender, SEC

◊ Work experience

◊ Ability to articulate with clarity

◊ Attitudinal statements

◊ Social Profiles

◊ A mix of colleges and companies

Quantitative Research: To ensure the right participants were selected, an experienced HR professional recruiter & consultant, Sylvia Dhingra, led the quantitative recruitment process with Yuvaa’s field team. To maintain a high quality of participants, the following quality checks were performed-

◊ CV verification

◊ Scrutiny

◊ Back-checks – LinkedIn, Instagram , Phone verification

◊ More than 4000+ participants were shortlisted and about 2540 made the last quality check

Quantitative Research Design

72 units | 250+ Gen-Z; 12 cities; 24 Group Discussions; 48 Indepth Immersions; Male, Female & Others Online interviews

Generation of Hope

Shaped by Doom & Tech

Shaped by the extremes of the humanitarian and socio-political crisis coupled with climate change while witnessing rapid changes with the boom of technology & social media integrating offline & online worlds. The first-generation, Digital Natives, to demand and work collectively towards world issues.

Gen-Z Illumination: Context, Beliefs & Future

Who are Gen-Z in India?

Born between 1997-2010 – the oldest Gen-Z is 25yrs old today

1 in 3 Indians is Gen-Z With millions entering workforce every year

But to bucket the whole generation under a label is unjust to them! (and to us)

A whole generation cannot be defined by mere demographics especially with the complexities and diversity in culture, economies & geo-politics of India. The generational cohort helps us dive into understanding them better but not at the cost of denying the polyphony in the youth culture of India. The Indian Gen-Z is different than the global counterpart and within India itself they are all not the same and hence it is imperative to dig deeper to understand the context of the world they grew up in along with nuances of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan context, life stage and gender as starting points.

This research study focussed on urbanized section of Gen-Z in top metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities with access to smartphones and with at least pursuing or completed a graduate level degree.

With this as the starting point, and with a total sample interaction of over 4000 with expert researchers with more than 8yrs of experience understanding Gen-Z, it is safe to say that the larger themes and core value belief system will find coherence with the generational cohort with well-stated nuance in differences.

A Generation that grew up in the era of rapid economic progress & extreme doom

India saw a drastic shift in its economy post 1991’s Liberalisation policies with a great increase in disposal incomes and change in the cultural fabric and lifestyles with access to Western media, and rapid digitalisation by the time Gen-Zers reached their pre-teens.

While the trio of liberalisation, westernization and digitalisation set the Gen-Zers impressionable years to a more open, diverse & easier one, it also exposed them to a world of sheer violence & uncertainty.

To add to the mix came sheltered parenting with conflicting value system. On one hand, their parents made many sacrifices to provide an economic cushion opening up their world to reach their full potential & optimism; while on the other passed on their scarcity-driven & conformist fears leaving Gen-Zers confused & conflicted. The absence of role models at home & society, and even media with no youth icons & representation with conflicting value system left them astray in their formative years to find a community of their own online – with instant gratification & infinite choices yet no real guidance.

Living in a perpetual conflict with society impinging on individual values

Societal Values Gen Z Values

Gen-Zers are non-conformists, accept differences & value diversity. The existing societal values feel problematic & orthodox to them while their ideas & beliefs are not accepted by society; putting Gen-Zers at odds to managing and negotiate their identity at a daily basis.

Collectivism

Traditional

Resist Change

Value Liquid Assets

Materialistic

Restrained yet show-off

Stable Survivalists

Digital Adopters negotiate their identity at a daily basis.

Individualism

Desi-Modernism

Negotiate + Reform

Value Social Capital

Humanistic

Self acceptance + proud display

Stable Purpose Seekers

Digital Natives

22-25yrs

18-21yrs

22-25yrs

22-25yrs

I am a calisthenics instructor. Training people is what makes me happy. People older than me training them and teaching them makes me feel cool so yeah.. our community where we meet up every weekend get drunk have fun, etc.

I always say if things happen let’s think about the solutions instead of dwelling over the situation

Even though I graduated last year and not doing a 9-5 job was the best decision ever because I got to explore different content and I have a network of people I could have never imagined this 5 years ago now so I too don’t have a long term vision but I am focusing on the next step

School doesn’t teach you about life, and people around you get serious about jobs and life after 18, I am frightened of what I am getting myself into. Nobody tells you to talk a certain way or email a certain way.

They are the digital natives who grew up with access to infinite resources with technology & internet from childhood shrinking their world and fostering deep connections with the world.

The digital natives are far more socially and politically conscious than previous generations owing to overall better economic scenario post 1991’s liberalisation, challenging toxic value system through global influences & connected shared experiences through digitalisation, and fostering a natural alignment towards voicing up against inequality while growing up in an uncertain world of doom & gloom.

Advocacy to make a world a better, equitable and empathetic place is a prominent drive and this generation is full of hope & equipped with techsavviness to shatter the vicious circle of doom.

Gen-z digital natives on a hopeful reformist rebellion to change the world of doom

Climate Change

Sexism

Sheltered Parenting

Uncertainty

Despair

Political Turmoil

Societal Red tape

War

Casteism

Inequality

HOPE + SOCIAL MEDIA + SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Breaking the circle of doom with Hope combined with the power of Tech towards an equitable & empathetic world

22-25yrs

Delhi Working

Nowadays you have n number of possibilities. Access to information and research has increased. In the early 2000s had not much access to go abroad and study unlike now. You can take the average person from India and he could have the best possible education. learning stuff online, and having 3 jobs together.

22-25yrs

Kolkata Working

18-21yrs

Mumbai Not Working

When boredom hits me when I scroll through Instagram and keep scrolling when I feel pressurized or I feel something is being imposed on me I feel sad and I just end up on social media.

18-21yrs

Kolkata Not Working

The country’s situation is not good and we don’t know how to handle it everything is going wrong and it impacts me in a way like an example there are a lot of rape cases, and money laundering and there are uncountable a person I want to go to an administrative line I can’t fix the whole country but I do wish to help in something.

22-25yrs

Hyderabad Working

Not many people respected my boundaries the way I did theirs. I have a few best friends that understand me and vice versa. A lot of my friends realized that and apologized for it, for those who didn’t I realized it was never a friendship to begin with.

Bollywood stereotypes parents that they pressure you to study but Modern day parents aren’t vocal you know they wish well for you and if you fail you will know you let them down, but getting into a master’s is more important to me so I want to keep up to my own expectations of my own.

Change-now focussed doers seeking stability & holistic peace while discovering themselves

The Z-ers are known to be quick-action doers and with the constant instant gratification through social media have manifested instantness in their nature. The understanding of time being limited is showcased in their living in micro-moments while lowered attention spans & memorability also serves as their coping mechanism for self-preservation from the uncertain world turmoil.

With their accelerated adulthood, they feel the world pressures – capitalistic rat race, societal & orthodox intrusion, environmental chaos & political turmoil - as they eye their future; putting them at almost constant stress and a need to check-out into their safe haven of me-time with increased focus on sharing their suffering, self-care & numbing themselves to the overstimulating chaos with infinite social scrolling.

Surviving constantly in an uncertain & unstable world with a collapse of institutional trust – governments, religion, marriage & corporates, they seek stability in their life and society with an empathetic approach towards the world that needs an undeniable change. With such stress, they are the generation feeling the brunt of it with negligible access to resources to cope with it. Society has failed to understand them or provide them access to resources that help them deal with this stress, forcing them to turn to social media to advocate for their mental health well-being and making it their priority.

With infinite choices & no guidance comes the conundrum of choice paradox, putting them into a decision paralysis

The combination of sheltered parenting, choice paradox, shorthand digital conversations, lack of resources and support and Gen X traditional default of brushing things under the carpet has left Gen-Z in a disempowered spot where they struggle to have difficult conversations making them largely confrontation avoidant at an individual level.

This is exhibited clearly in quiet quitting, ghosting, hiding their true identity with family/relatives, avoiding people with different opinions – a black & white world over grey areas.

A generation hobbling forward without a map themselves

I feel my mental state, I have improved my mental health before I was really introverted but I am working on it because I do like talking to people but I do have to restrain myself, for example, complimenting people in the metro, but I am slowly improving.

The world is a stage and society is an audience, society is brutal they judge you in a way where they don’t care about you but parents are less brutal at the end of the day it’s family and they will look out for you.

Maybe another covid outbreak. That was something that changed our plans a lot. Online studies n stuff was basically a waste of time. Our childhood and college life were ruined.

The way content creators on Instagram show single life as horrible through their posts, it’s kind of troubling.

Depending on the topic I am open with my mom about what is going on in my college, what I do with my friends, and with my father, I don’t share because they won’t understand when I talk about depression and anxiety they won’t understand it and I did try to talk about it but they didn’t understand they said to sleep on time and this is one of the reasons I became depressed because I am not able to open up to them.

I am worried that I don’t know where I will be in the next years, I have short-term goals that help me grow, but I do think I should have longterm goals as well and not having them scares me.

Forcing them to be responsible change-makers with no tools to cope with the chaos

With their childhood context, conflicting societal values around them & their beliefs, this generation needs instant feedback, validation, inspiration and a clear path with support to make the change in the world they have been forcefully designated by the chaos of the previous generations.

Childhood Context Gen Z Values Societal Values Gen Z Gaps

Economic Certainty

Global Influences

Digitalisation

Doom & gloom

Sheltered Parenting

No Role Models

No Guidance

Conflicted Extremes

Collectivism

Traditional

Resist Change

Value Liquid Assets

Materialistic

Restrained yet Show-off

Stable Survivalists

Digital Adopters

Individualism

Desi-Modernism

Negotiate + Reform

Value Social Capital

Humanistic

Self acceptance + proud display

Stable Purpose Seekers

Digital Natives

Identity Conflicts

Failing systems

Confrontation Avoidance

Decision Paralysis

Self preservation

Fear of acceptance by family & society

No map to path

Overwhelmed

The pandemic has only increased their digital mileage from planning happy posts to self-care regimes online.

They find solace in their own company more often than not

◊ Journaling

◊ Stress eating

◊ Talking to parents/close friends

◊ Cold showers

◊ Going for a walk/long drive

◊ Meditation

◊ Music

◊ Smoking a cigarette/ Alcohol

◊ Cooking

◊ Hanging with friends

Their expectations of being cared for by society are low & self-care with me-time is their habitual coping mechanism

To cope with the doom and gloom that surrounds them they usually resort to a mixed bag of coping mechanisms, some healthy and some far from it; however, they majorly constitute activities that are carried out alone rather than in the presence of another individual.

18-21yrs

Guwahati Not Working

I don’t feel good, sometimes I get angry or sad but I listen to music and sleep that helps and when you wake up fresh you don’t feel that bad since you forget about it or I play cricket or sometimes I sleep or sometimes I like to talk to my friends and share it with

22-25yrs

Chandigarh Working

I think I avoid my feelings a lot. Getting out of the house and going to a friend’s place. Talking to people gives me perspective.

22-25yrs

Hyderabad Working

Whenever I try to write and the words just flow out naturally without any interruptions. Whenever I listen to music at dawn. Going on a mountain top and lighting a cigarette.

18-21yrs

Hyderabad Not Working

Appreciating small things in life. Writing people in your life in a list and prioritizing, clearing out mind and feelings, caring about skin, focusing mainly on the body and mind.

22-25yrs

Mumbai Working

If I worry about the future I am not focusing on the present I meditate and try to be calm because I am spoiling my present as well”

18-21yrs

Chennai Not Working

Cooking or baking gives me satisfaction because after putting so much effort into something and it turns out good so I feel good about myself., listen to music or maybe even watch a movie where I feel understood.

Gen-Z champions authenticity, diversity & expression with new communication style

Gen-Zers are beyond mere survival as their goal. To live in complete authenticity is a non-negotiable and they are individually and collectively as a generation working towards reforming the world to accept it. Being truly who they are and building a world to accept others in their truest form provides them a larger purpose to make the world an equitable and peaceful place, and champion the causes they believe in – diversity, equity, inclusion, good mental health & access to mental health resources, respect individual boundaries, sustainability, environmentalism, nonviolence, sex positivity, gender fluidity, LGBTQ+ rights, smashing the patriarchy & gender norms, and to clear space for the voices of the underprivileged and oppressed to be heard & amplified.

They may not know the path to achieve these goals but they are paving the path gradually with their expressive, interactive & instant communication style.

Using social to connect in creative & expressive ways to build stronger relationships with their peers

Visual communication has overtaken words. The digital avatars, GIFs, emojis, reactions, pictures & videos surpass the power of words to communicate with more clarity, emotion & intimacy

Their communication style helps them better express themselves and keeps them connected. Most importantly, this generation knows how to give feedback and interact with it

But they do suffer from real-life conversations beyond their close social groups

Gen Z Identity

(re)defining, (re)discovering & (re)inventing

Digitalisation has shaped their identity & covid-19 altered it furtherhabitual coping mechanism

They are curating and creating our own expansive world in our little screens everyday

Phones are their real soulmates; they spend more time in this relationship than any other in daily life - work, maintaining relationships, courses, dating, mental health, me-time, gaming, entertainment and more

Instagram Content My Space, My Time Disconnect & Escape

the new SHARMAji has never been so pressuring at one’s own choice to set standards and aspirations off life

with self without a maskdrawing boundaries to spend time

creating the world and rabbit hole I like

a quick & easy escape from the dystopian world in pandemic

Unfiltered, Real & Precise

And digital content is a reflection of their identity and communication style

The audience spent their formative years during an extremely challenging environment and especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic. These are the times of witnessing their representation as is.

Show me my kind of life

It’s all about representation. Gone are the days of glory and family dramas and in are the slices of real life with subtle yet powerful stories

Uncensored & Unpredictable It’s good that it ends

It is valued more because it’s short lived yet iconic and memorable than being a drag!

Serves to Gen-Z ‘s reduced memory & attention span

The New Desi

The audience spent their formative years during an extremely challenging environment and especially now during the Covid-19 pandemic. These are the times of witnessing their representation as is.

Unsuppressed, raw and striving to be nonpretentious. They have stepped in an age where they proactively do not want to hide who we are making it more real for Gen-Z is

Gen-z imagine to be a better version of themselves in the future

Although most of them grew up watching their parents focus on stability, they seem to realize that it’s a different time now - inequality is wider, dreams are bigger and the paths to success are many.

They have ambition and audacity. And they have one quality that sets them apart from every previous generation in India - a genuine appetite for risk. But feel the need of a map and to look up to role models

They are on the lookout to find career areas that exist at the intersection of passion and opportunity which is a critical component of the self-discovery process.

The wireless generation conducts social media profiling before making friends in the real world. “For them, the online world of people is far more important They are genuinely concerned about their future and the world’s

Future Better Future Better Future

than the offline world. They consume social media content with skepticism.

All the new skills that I learn I upload on My YouTube Channel. I upload new cover songs all the time.. When I post it and when people appreciate it, it feels good. I feel a sense of achievement. I’m into Work or studying related stuff as well.

Being able to do what I like and what others like so they can appreciate me because I like appreciation, I lack self-esteem so I crave validation from others so if people validate me and see my efforts and it makes them happy that is what happiness means to me and being satisfied with who I am and where I am.

18-21yrs Bhubaneshwar Not Working

22-25yrs Jaipur Working

ButNot OneSize Fits All

But not one size fits all

Similar values are realised differently based on – gender, age, life stage & city tier

This study must be viewed keeping in mind the following life contexts.

Gender

The world of men, women and others are very different. Life for other genders is the cruelest with real harm & everyday harassment. For women, it is substantially better than other genders but still unsafe, while men enjoy most of the privileges of a patriarchal society though Gen-Z men are struggling to keep up with society’s idea of masculinity which is toxic for them.

It is 2023, and women are still treated as second-class citizens (and others even worse) and do not have fair & equal opportunities, access or autonomy.

Societal Freedom

Autonomy & Free Expression

Self Censorship

Privacy

Job Opportunities

Job Opportunities

Glass Ceiling

Access to Reources

Mental Health Reources

But when it comes to mental health resources, women are better equipped than men owing to the ideas of toxic masculinity that don’t apply to them & a more empathetic support system with other women – friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, etc.

City tier

Non-metros are rooted in community living more than metros which primes the sense of privacy, sense of belonging, & openness in culture. It is challenging for non-metro residents to realize their individuality because of societal and cultural barriers. They are itching to break away from societal ties to gain more autonomy and balance individualism with the collective culture.

While for metro inhabitants, the time-pressed & more modernistic culture has alienated them from the existing culture & society. They desire to find a sense of belonging and lean towards community living with no avenues to put into reality.

Competition is intense in metros which restricts their growth opportunities but job opportunities are abundant as compared to non-metros.

Idealism

Sense of Belonging

Access to Reources

Openness in Culture

Job Opportunities

Growth Opportunities

Time Pressed

Privacy

Mental Health Reources

Lifestage

Exposure to the real world and entry into adulthood is initiated by their induction in college and things change drastically as they enter the workforce.

Financial independence is a major game changer to experience the position of self in society & world.

The non-working Gen-Z imagine an idealistic world but soon these ideas go through a realistic & societal inhibition filter and are re-calibrated.

While Gen-Z believes in their reformist rebellion and is full of hope, being in the working system deflates their hopes & confidence in achieving their dream of an equitable, sustainable & kind world.

The corporate red tapes and the sense of an employable image force them to self-censor themselves robbing them of a free reign of their authentic expression.

Idealism

Societal Freedom

Autonomy

Free Expression

Privacy

Job Opportunities

Growth Opportunities

Access to Reources

Mental Health Reources

Youth empowerment, individuality independent, and not doing what everybody else is doing. Since youth is the future of the country. If we don’t empower them they might end up depending on other generations. Like if we have the privilege now to rise people with us somewhere then why not. studying related stuff as well.

18-21yrs

Ahmedabad

Not Working

In the urban side, people are so busy they don’t know what is going on with their neighbors but in rural places, people know what’s happening and are there to help.

18-21yrs

Guwahati

Not Working