Academic literature on the topic 'Generation and values.Characteristics of the "Y" and "Z" generations'

For successful interaction and communication to occur in organizations, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of each generation and what motivates them to be successful and good employees. In an organization, many of the employees' values and attitudes towards work can be quite different from previous generations, and managers need to take these generational differences into account in order to effectively manage the workforce. Strauss and Howe (1991) identified eighteen generations throughout four centuries of American history, dating back to the first New World colonizers. In this study, the differences in working orientations and attitudes between generations within the scope of the Traditional Generation, Baby Boomer Generation, X Generation, Y Generation and Z Generation, which are the generations that affect / will affect today's working life, are discussed. After explaining what kind of environment these generations were born into and how they were affected by social, economic and environmental conditions, it was examined how these generations achieved unity in their working environments. It has been contributed to the recognition of Generation Z by their managers and colleagues, who have just entered or will enter the labor market, and to learn what kind of working group they are/will be faced with, and suggestions are made for the future labor markets.

Generational differences in work values and workplace expectations have become a widely discussed research and intervention topic in recent years. However, little is known about Generation Z, who are now entering the labour market, and this presents challenges to both researchers and companies. Therefore, the primary purpose of the present study is to extend generation research by examining generational cohort differences in workplace expectations, specifically between Generation Z and the previous closest generation, Generation Y. The study is also intended to add to the limited empirical evidence of the workplace expectations of the most recent Generation Z. The theoretical framework guiding this study includes generational cohort theory and anticipatory psychological contract dimensions: job content, career development, social atmosphere, the fairness of organisational policies and rewards. The study was based on an online questionnaire survey. Data was collected from a sample of 1,000 respondents for the Czech Republic and 600 for the Slovak Republic including Generations Y and Z in the ratio 1:1. The generational differences in the workplace expectations, controlling the effects of gender and country, were investigated using multiple linear regression. The overall findings of the study indicate that both generations are more similar than different regarding their future employment expectations. We also find that those preferences may be more heterogeneous within a homogeneous group than across generational cohorts. The findings specifically indicate that some characteristics, such as geographical environment, professional experience and gender may shape employment expectations more than generational difference. The study suggests that companies also need to appreciate heterogeneity within a homogeneous generational group instead of treating current or prospective potential employees simply as members of one generation. The directions of future research, as well as the limitations of the study, are discussed.

Generation Z has been said to have more in common with their global generational cohort than they do with their parents. The 24/7 access to information, through increasingly ubiquitous Internet access, has been credited as the facilitator of the spread of generational values and characteristics. While this may apply to Generation Z in many developed countries, does it apply in developing nations such as Thailand? For example, by the year 2015, only 40 percent of the Thai population had access to the Internet. Thus, this study attempts to understand to what extent proclaimed Generation Z characteristics and values ring true for a segment of Thai youth with the necessary access to and corresponding usage of connected technology. A literature review was conducted of both English and Thai language literature. Thai Generation Z university students were surveyed, and the results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. On the one hand, the results did support an affinity toward technology, on the other hand, it suggested that Thai youth valued and used the technology differently than their generational cohort in the west, especially concerning content creation. Furthermore, they differed from their global cohort in their preference for collectivism. They also differed from national cultural expectations as they showed tendencies toward low power distance. Finally, work values were largely consistent with international generational expectations in that they showed the strongest preference toward intrinsic and altruistic rewards. It will be essential for Human Resources (HR) to communicate these rewards to attract and retain this next generation of employees. This article contributes to the greater cross-cultural management scholarship by filling a gap in understanding the cultural and work values of a generational cohort in Thailand. It does this by highlighting the institutional and cultural setting this cohort came of age in and surveys cohort members to understand their values and preferences.

Generations Y and Z are the next generations of the Indonesian nation, including in the process of preventing and eradicating corruption. These two generations tend to have the same weaknesses, that is, the tendency to be apathetic towards the government and politics. This apathy can be an obstacle to eradicating corruption cases in the future when these generations occupy strategic positions. The aim of the study is to find out the views of generations Y and Z on the way the local government works to eradicate corruption cases in Kupang City. The researchers use a quantitative approach, with descriptive survey research methods. The research subjects are 78 Christians from the generation Y and Z who live in Kupang City. The sampling technique used is stratified random sampling which is spread using the google forms (online) format. The results of the study show that generation Y and Z are sensitive to cases of corruption that are taking place in their domicile, Kupang City. Out of 78 subjects of generation Y and Z, the majority or 42 subjects answer that the level of corruption in Kupang City is at a severe level. Generation Z also looks more familiar with Nine anti-corruption values than generation Y. There are various solutions offered by generations Y and Z for regional leaders to overcome corruption in Kupang City. However, the solution to the campaign is still considered to be less effective in dealing with corruption for generation Y and Z. It is recommended that local governments see and use the opinions of generation Y and Z to improve themselves and the anti-corruption system and involve generation Y and Z to prevent, fight, and eradicate corruption cases actively both in real actions and in cyberspace (social media). Anti-corruption behavior conveyed to generations Y and Z must be more attractive, modern, and in accordance with the characteristics of these two generations who have a dependency on cyberspace.

Nowadays, Indonesia is facing a pandemic that brought us to a rapid digital transformation, which brings us to the middle of the digitalization era. One of the generations who absorb the effect of this is Generation Z. Although Generation Z mastered technology better than other generations, Generation Z’s sense of nationalism can’t fade because nationalism is necessary for a nation. The literature study method is used in this paper, where the writer collected literature materials based on some keywords in Google Scholar. Generally, challenges that Generation Z’s facing is in the form of bad characteristics of Generation Z, technology abuse, unfiltered foreign culture, and bad influence of social media & virtual world. Pancasila as the nation’s fundamental holds the main role for this problem’s solution since it contains values of life and national identity. Character education is also necessary since it holds many important aspects to stir up the sense of nationalism. Other unique approaches are also quite important, such as ethnomathematics implementation & scout extracurricular. We are lacking in solutions to fix this issue. More innovative ways need to be discovered and implemented to maintain the sense of nationalism in Generation Z.

<p>The film is one of the media that can describe a generation of speech in an era. The stuttering of the older generation is often described as conservative-minded actors facing the changing times. On the other hand, the uncertainty of the young generation facing their own times is loaded with inherited values which are always in conflict with the principles of modern life. This paper tries to analyze how these generations are presented into the film. Taking the film Turah as a research material, the author wants to analyze further how the character of the figures in this film represents his generation. The author uses two sets of analysis, that is generation theory David and Jonah Stillman to identify generations and their characteristics. Secondly, the analysis of Christian Metz's shot to examine the relations of generation in the film Turah. Turah is the main character in the film representing the generation of X (middle aged). Generation X has a role as a bridge between the generations above it and the generation below it (millennial). The generation X's ability to absorb its predecessor values to be inherited to the millennials generations will shape the character of the generation Z, the farthest generation of its predecessors.</p><p><br /><strong>Keywords : Film, Turah, Generation X, and Millennial.</strong></p>

Abstract Factors such as globalization and demographic changes have led to major challenges in the processes of human resource management. Based on the literature review, we found that these factors affected the purpose of the HRM processes, leading, at the same time, to a stronger strategic management and to new HRM practices. A major challenge facing companies today is based on generational diversity, which means that more and more generations have joined the labor market and a lot of companies. The interest of researchers and practitioners for this topic has increased considerably because they try to find ways to better understand the characteristics of each generation, which enters the labor market with new needs, values and motivations. The overall purpose of the paper is to identify which are some of the most important characteristics of each generation and also to analyze the impact that the new generation which entered the labour market in the last years or will enter it in the foreseeable future, Generation Z, has on the HRM processes. The methodology used in the study consisted in analyzing secondary data, which arose from international databases and journals, using the methods of analysis, comparison, classification and synthesis. Also, in order to provide an overview of the researched topic, a series of studies, surveys, interviews conducted by specialized companies were reviewed. Through the conducted research we want to show that each new generation that enters the labour market brings certain changes. Also, we want to analyze why it is important that the HRM processes be elaborated and implemented, while taking into account some ways of optimizing and adapting them to the challenges created by the most indispensable resource of a company, the human resource.

CPA Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y or Millennials and the latest addition, Generation Z, possess unique characteristics, workplace values and ethics. This study focused on how workplace values and ethical considerations directly and indirectly affect the values of CPAs. The participants are five hundred forty-one (n=541) Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y and Generation Z Filipino professional accountants among four different sectors namely the academe or education, commerce & industry, government and public practice. A partial least square-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) including mediation and moderation analysis were used to determine the direct and indirect effects. Using Schwartz motivational values, the study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between self-transcendence (benevolence and universalism) and openness to change (self-direction and stimulation) as workplace values to the values of practicing CPAs. There is a negative but significant relationship between workplace values of conservation (tradition and security) and self-enhancement values (power and achievement) with the CPA values. Also, workplace values significantly affect ethical considerations, while ethical considerations (or strict adherence to CPA’s code of ethics) significantly influence the CPA values while in practice. Lastly, the moderation analysis further revealed that workforce generation has moderating effect on the relationship between conservation values and the actual practice values. Ethical considerations have no mediating effect on the significant positive relationship between individual values and values in practice (benevolence and universalism), while workforce generations have moderating effect in the conservation values of CPAs

Generation Z is a generation with unique characteristics that makes them differ from their predecessor. With Generation Z entering the workplace, there are currently three generations (Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z) that must work together and coordinate within the company. However, Generation Z is known to be a “job hopper” generation. They like to switch between jobs for a certain reason. This behavior is surely associated with the concept of organizational commitment. Furthermore, both variables (motivation and satisfaction in work) presumed to have a great impact on organizational commitment. Therefore, the aim of this study is to observe on how to enhance Generation Z’s organizational commitment through job satisfaction and work motivation. This observation is to explain on what Generation Z expects and values the most in the workplace and how employers can meet those expectations. Research method used is desktop-based research which consists of secondary data collected from different research papers, journals, articles, and books.

Purpose“Contactless service” refers to the use of technology in providing products or services without a salesperson. This study explores the mechanism underlying Millennial and Generation Z (M/Z generations) consumers' preference for contactless service over salespersons in retail stores. In addition, this study tests differences between the M/Z generations.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers predict characteristics to be antecedents of young consumer's preference for contactless service over salespersons and that the effects are mediated by technology self-efficacy. Next, a moderating variable (perceived consumer conformity) is added in the path between technology self-efficacy and the preference for contactless service. The hypotheses are tested among 142 Gen Z and 137 Millennial respondents.FindingsThe results show that M/Z generations’ characteristics significantly influence the preference for contactless service, except for security seeking. Also, interests in new technology and safety seeking are perceived higher by M/Z generations. The influence of technology self-efficacy on the preference for contactless service is moderated by social conformity.Originality/valueAs retail technology rapidly develops, the service industry is expected to change from the past, where salespersons played an important role, to contactless services. This study has academic and practical values, for the authors clarify the underlying psychological mechanisms of why young consumers prefer retail technology rather than communication with salespersons.

In this book, the authors focus their attention on the role that culture, that collection of values, beliefs, attitudes, and preferences responsible for creating national identities, has played and continues to play on individuals’ decisions when they are in or about to enter the labor market. At a time when millennials face many employment challenges and Generation Z can be expected to encounter even more, a clearer understanding of the ways cultural transmission could facilitate or hinder productive and rewarding work would appear to be both useful and well-timed. The book’s title—Caught in the Cultural Preference Net: Three Generations of Employment Choices in Six Capitalist Democracies—conveys the authors’ aim to determine if work-related beliefs, attitudes, and preferences have remained stable across generations or if they have become pliant under changing economic conditions. And while millennials serve as the anchoring point for much of our discussion, they do not neglect the significance that their parents from Generation X (b. 1965–1982) and their baby boomer parents (b. 1945–1964) may have had on their socialization into the world of work. The book is organized around three lines of inquiry: (a) Do some national cultures possess value orientations that are more successful than others in promoting economic opportunity? (b) Does the transmission of these value orientations demonstrate persistence irrespective of economic conditions or are they simply the result of these conditions? (c) If a nation’s beliefs and attitudes do indeed impact opportunity, do they do so by influencing an individual’s preferences and behavioral intentions? The authors’ principal method for isolating the employment effects of cultural transmission is what is referred to as a stated preference experiment. They replicate this experiment in six countries—Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, India, and the United States—countries that have historically adopted significantly different forms of capitalism. They not only find some strong evidence for cultural stability across countries but also observe an erosion in this stability among millennials.

It cannot be denied that environmental influence has a great effect on the characteristics of individuals: reason why people can be profiled with their generation. Generation is a collection of lifespans which fall into a time duration when major changes have occurred. The last decades are labeled as information and technology era where the world is witnessing great changes in lifestyles that go in parallel with the speed of evolving digital technology. Young people born after 2000 are categorized as “Generation Z,” who are born into a world of IT technology and are independent, social individuals competent in using technology and mostly interested in technology-driven/enabled events and devices. Due to this fact, portable/wearable smart devices may be used to offer new opportunities for delivering education tailored according to situational needs and preferences of these people. In this chapter, after touching distinctive characteristics of the generations, concepts regarding ubiquitous learning and how it aligns with the aspirations and values of Generation Z are highlighted.

The Indonesian Population Census 2020 reported that the majority of Indonesia's population is in the productive age group and dominated by Generation Z (27.94%). As the generation that currently dominates the population, Generation Z's characteristics are important to learn. They are the future. Generation Z has the potency to accelerate Indonesia's financial inclusion through digitalization because they are adaptable to technology. Responding to the survey results which put Generation Z in Indonesia in the first rank for the levels of happiness and religious awareness, a survey was conducted for Islamic financial technology literacy to find out how they face challenges as well as opportunities in digital era to be in line with religious values and may accelerate financial inclusion. The great potential of Generation Z for technology as well as religious awareness in turn will support financial inclusion towards inclusive development in Indonesia. Hence, this chapter will describe the survey results of digital financial knowledge and behavior of Generation Z in Indonesia.

Today's workforce is more diverse than ever, comprised of five generational cohorts: Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z. As each generation has its own values, beliefs, and expectations, their leadership preferences pose new challenges for organizations. In this chapter, leadership approaches are discussed, and the differences and similarities among preferred generational leadership styles are examined. The purpose of this chapter is to determine an appropriate leadership style that meets the needs of all generations, and globally responsible inter-generational leadership has been suggested as the most effective approach.

Now we turn to the question: ‘Once I have created an abstract declaration in EXPRESS, what would an instance of that thing look like?’ EXPRESS-I allows you to create instances of EXPRESS things that have values in place of references to datatypes. The main reason for doing this is to study some realistic examples of things that otherwise might be difficult to understand. After all, it is one thing to describe a tree and quite another to actually see one. Some of the design goals of EXPRESS-I are based on these requirements: • Major information modeling projects are large and complex. Managing them without appropriate tools based on formal languages and methods is a risky proposition. Informal specification techniques eliminate the possibility of employing computer automation in checking for inconsistencies in presentation or specification. • The language should focus on the display of the realization of the properties of entities, which are the things of interest. The definition of entities is in terms of data and behavior. Data represents the properties by which an entity is realized and behavior is represented by constraints. • The language should seek to avoid, as far as possible, specific implementation views. That is, EXPRESS-I models do not suggest the structure of databases, object bases, or of information bases in general. • The language should provide a means for displaying small populated models of EXPRESS schemas as examples for design reviews. • The language should provide a means for supporting the specification of test suites for information model processors. EXPRESS-I represents entity instances in terms of the values of its attributes (attributes are the traits or characteristics considered important for use and understanding). These values have a representation which might be considered simple (an integer value) or something more complex (an entity value). A geometric point might be defined in terms of three real numbers named x, y and z, and the actual values associated with those attributes might be 1.0, 2.5 and 7.9. The EXPRESS-I instance language provides a means of displaying instantiations of EXPRESS data elements. The language is designed principally for human readability and for ease of generating EXPRESS-I element instances from definitions in an EXPRESS schema.

This chapter explores Millennials and their characteristics and imperative influence in changing purchasing behavior, consumer preferences, and how transactions are made. It also highlights why Millennials are a significant generation to explore. The general findings indicate Millennials are a significant generation because technology will be a prominent disruptor to look out for, and Millennials will be the ones steering the ship. Additional findings indicate the Millennials are value driven and strive to work for organizations that are ethical, prefer being empowered, and remain loyal as long as it is within their career trajectory. They also like to be engaged through regular feedback, and they strive towards rebuilding institutions for greater impact. Millennials' aspirations in achieving higher purpose and understanding of life stems from their spirituality and genuine care for people, communities, and values that affect their attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs. At the tail end, the chapter implores the importance in revolutionizing education for future generations.

The age of market globalisation and on-line presence allows companies to improve their relations with customers as well as to establish more direct communication. The different shopping acts may be related to a person's utilitarian and hedonic values. A study carried out by Hootsuite revealed that clothing and beauty products were the most on-line bought items in Portugal in 2017. The study aims at understanding the motivations behind choosing on-line channels for buying those types of products, with a special emphasis on the different generations of buyers. The authors use an exploratory methodology based on an on-line survey with 280 responses. There is a stronger association between the utilitarian value and the intention to repeat a purchase than between the hedonic value and that intention. Generation X is more associated to the repurchase intention to repeat a purchase based on utilitarian values and Generation Z shows a stronger association between hedonic values and being a repeat customer.

Teaching fellows within this study are graduates participating in a paid postgraduate programme of training and development, providing them with skills for lecturing in higher education. Identifying with widening participation characteristics, as well as the attributes of Y and Z Generations, this study examines a programme firmly rooted in the philosophies of both work-based learning and work-integrated learning. This was a unique approach to offering opportunities which went beyond undergraduate study to graduates of the institution, preparing them for employment through exposure to experiences of shadowing and eventual teaching. This therefore highlights three distinct areas which crucially impacts on their development: social learning within a community of practice (CoP), emotional challenges of imposter phenomenon, and reflective practice. The study concludes with evidence of how providing this opportunity to a generation of individuals, who may not have considered it before, can promote the connections between theory and practice as part of their practical experience.

Mobile travel apps are essential tools in trip planning; they provide local insights and recommendation on destinations. Smart tourism features the extensive use of information and communication technology (ICT) which is a new evolution of old-style tourism and e-tourism, emphasised on two approaches: augmented reality (AR) and big data (BD). Several tourism studies have discussed the positive and negative impacts of adopting smart mobile travel apps in the tourism industry. Different factors may affect the app's adoption and acceptance of new technology. However, the level of adoption of smart mobile travel apps depends on the traveller's characteristics as each generation has different characteristics in the adaptability of smart technology. Therefore, this research model is based on the integration of the DeLone and McLean IS success (IS) model and consumer acceptance and use of information technology (UTAUT2) model to determine the factors influencing behavioural intention to use mobile travel apps for smart tourism among Generations X, Y, and Z.

The paper gives a detailed description of peculiarities of the modern generation of secondary vocational education students who, according to the theory of generations, represent generation Z. The author offers effective foreign language training techniques which take into account the characteristics of new generation students in the modern conditions and aim at developing their communicative skills. The team work ability is emphasizes.

The calculation of the entropy generation rate ds/dt in turbomachinery passages is a straightforward task once the velocity and temperature fields are known. The global entropy generation rate in the passage, dS/dt = ∫V(x,y,z)(ds/dt)dxdydz, is of course directly related to the cascade efficiency, but its functional dependence on the local characteristics of the flowfield is not immediately detectable: the left-hand side is a single-valued quantity that cannot, as such, be used as the objective function of an inverse design procedure (because a local modification of a single detail of the blade geometry invariably produces non-negligible effects on the entire flow domain). On the contrary, knowledge of the local entropy generation rate in each point of a channel provides immediate useful insight into the relative importance of the different sources of irreversibility in the process. There are numerous examples of the application of entropy generation maps as a diagnostic design tool, i.e., to locate problematic areas that demand for design “improvements”: these are, though, basically heuristic and intrinsically non-systematic approaches. On the other hand, the adoption of a functional based on the local entropy generation rates is difficult both from a theoretical and from a practical point of view, and there is no example yet of a blade profile optimization in which the objective function is ∫V(x,y,z)(ds/dt)dxdydz, to be minimized over the design domain V. This paper presents a rational derivation of the relationships between the local and global entropy generation and the local features of the flow, and illustrates them by means of two examples derived from applications developed in the last years by the Turbomachinery Group led by the author at the University of Roma 1. The merits and limits of the use of such a “local” approach are critically discussed, and in the Conclusions a procedure is proposed for the development of an inverse design approach based on a properly constrained objective function based on ds/dt: though quite intensive from a computational point of view, there are indications that such an approach may become feasible on realistic geometries in the near future.

The changes in digitalized society are reflected in the family and school environment. Nowadays children are characterized as “Homo zappiens” (Veen & Vrakking, 2011) or “digi” generation (Gold, 2016) because they are growing up using modern technology (mobile phone, computer, iPod etc.) since early childhood. The use of new communication technologies by children induced major changes in play, learning and parenting. They learn and play in a global and digital culture. This could lead to huge discrepancies between generations, especially between parents and children, children and educators. This is because homo zappiens are digital, whereas parents are analogous sometimes. If we add to these characteristics of society the values that dominate postmodernism (hedonism, individualism etc.) we will have a clearer picture of the challenges of education today and especially, in parenting. We need to redefine the children-parents-educators relationship through a new set of criteria. Wellbeing is an important aspect of the family environment which determinates school integration and success. This article focuses on research in parents` perception regarding the parenting in digitalized society and children`s wellbeing. The research was embedded in a constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, which employed both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. This study included a number of 100 participants, children and their parents. Conclusion: The parents need to develop a new mind, set on children`s wellbeing and rethinking the parenting in digitalized society. A training program for parents must be a solution for develop children`s well-being at home as a condition for school.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.