Kids these days lack social skills? People in their 40s do even worse

Research on Sociality of MZ Generation in the COVID-19 Era
Score Z > M > X Generation... MZ Scores Higher

Recently, comedy content satirizing the MZ generation has become a hot topic. The segment "MZ Office" from Coupang Play's "SNL Korea" humorously depicts the conflicts between the MZ generation, who are newcomers to society, and the older generations, gaining much popularity. In this segment, the MZ generation is portrayed as not fitting into organizational culture, such as working while wearing earphones. But is the sociality of the MZ generation really low?

The MZ Generation Actually Scores Higher in Sociality than Generation X

[Image source=Pixabay]

According to a recent report titled "A Study on the Sociality Development of the MZ Generation in the COVID-19 Era (Principal Researcher: Research Fellow Choi Jung-won)" published by the Korea Youth Policy Institute, the sociality scores of the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z) were found to be higher than those of Generation X. The research team revealed that this result came from an online survey conducted in June to July last year with 5,271 Korean citizens, measuring sociality through questions about lifestyle attitudes and behavioral patterns.

The study subjects included ▲1,471 middle and high school students aged 13 to 18 (late Generation Z, born 2004?2009) ▲400 out-of-school youths aged 13 to 18 ▲800 early Generation Z individuals (mostly university students, born 1996?2003) ▲800 late Millennials (mostly early career workers, born 1989?1995) ▲500 early Millennials (born 1983?1988) ▲and 1,300 Generation X individuals (born 1965?1982).

The research team asked participants about the frequency and importance of statements such as "I make friends easily," "I initiate conversations with friends or colleagues," "I resolve problems or disputes through dialogue with friends or colleagues," and "I follow rules set by school or workplace even if I dislike them."

Based on the responses, the research team classified sociality types into three major categories. The first was the "general pattern with high sociality" type, showing patterns similar to the average but with overall sociality scores higher than average. The second was the "general pattern with low sociality" type, showing similar patterns but with overall scores lower than average. The third was the "non-general pattern with unstable social behavior" type, showing patterns different from the average.

The most positive type, "general pattern with high sociality," appeared most frequently among Generation Z student youths at 52%. This was followed by late Generation Z university students (49%), early Millennials (42%), and late Millennials (20%). The proportion of Generation X in this type was only 19%, and out-of-school youths accounted for just 7%.

For the out-of-school youth group and Generation X, the "non-general pattern with unstable social behavior" type was the most common at 51% and 42%, respectively, followed by the "general pattern with low sociality" type at 43% and 39%. The "general pattern with high sociality" type was the lowest among generations and groups at 7% and 19%, respectively.

However, Generation X rated their own sociality development level the highest along with Generation Z. Out-of-school youths gave themselves the lowest scores in self-assessment as well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.