WHAT THE DATA SAY: Half of young people not interested in a 9-to-5 job

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

GEN Z IS NOT WORKING 9 TO 5

The younger generation is relying on investing and social media to reach their financial goals instead of traditional full-time jobs, according to our Harris Poll research with MarketWatch.

• 51% of Gen Z think a 9-to-5 isn’t essential for achieving financial success.
• 60% say that working a full-time job won’t allow them to reach their financial goals (compared with 35% of Boomers).
• Instead, Gen Z is relying on side hustles, entrepreneurship and investing to achieve their goals.
• 62% of Gen Z say they receive financial advice from social media (compared with 36% of all Americans).
• 65% believe investing is their best shot at becoming a millionaire.
• See also: Why Gen Zs Trust TikTok Influencers Over Teachers

COLLEGE SAVING PLANS HAVE A REPUTATION PROBLEM

Parents are asking if “college is still worth it?,” based on our Harris Poll research with Intuit Credit Karma.

• For most generations, 529 college savings plans have been a default strategy for most parents looking to start a college fund.
• Today 65% of American families say they are saving for their children’s future.
• Yet fewer than a quarter now are using a 529 plan.
• Among those not contributing to or considering a 529 plan, most say it’s because they’ve never heard of it before.
• Among those who have or had a 529, 19% have closed their plans early, and another 22% have considered doing so.
• See also: What do Americans think about the skilled trades?

DEALERS VERSUS CONSUMERS IN CAR BUYING

Today’s automotive landscape highlights a significant gap between auto dealers and buyers, according to our Harris Poll study with Urban Science.

• 94% of dealers think the direct-to-consumer model appeals to consumers, yet only 64% of auto buyers agree.
• 64% of auto buyers cite affordability as their biggest concern (compared with 40% of dealers).
• 3 in 5 auto buyers believe tariffs will have a negative impact on the U.S. auto industry.
• 67% have changed their plans or experienced higher costs due to recent automotive tariffs.
• 78% of dealers say they will be increasing their focus on selling EVs.
• 87% reported increased sales revenue from EVs in the past five years – up from 67% last year.
• Buyers are split on EV adoption: 48% agree that they will be ready for EV-only options by 2040, and 48% said they never will be ready.

AI DRIVES GROWTH

Executives say AI-led software development has led to a 44% increase in revenue, according to our Harris Poll report with GitLab.

• 58% of C-suite executives report their organization experienced business growth from software innovation efforts.
• 91% of executives say software innovation is a core business priority.
• 80% say they’re willing to invest more than half of their company’s IT budget in software development.
• 73% believe human input for human-AI partnership should be at least 50/50.
• Only 27% believe AI should do the majority of the work.

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