Gen Z, the most privileged generation in history. The main types of youth: Gandalf, Scarlett, Hermione and Jack Sparrow

BRD and the Friends For Friends Foundation released the results of the study “Student in Romania. Young in Romania”, a nationally representative research on the life of Generation Z, students and non-students, in Romania.

For young Gen Z people, having a good mental state is the most important thing in life, and war and extremism are the biggest fears, according to the study “Student in Romania. Young in Romania”a nationally representative research on the life of Generation Z, students and non-students, from Romania, which was launched on Thursday. 62% of students declare themselves well informed financially, 86% say they can identify fake news, and 81% recognize online fraud attempts, indicating a better ability to filter information compared to previous generations. 81% of students use e-banking services, compared to 71% of young people who do not attend college, are other conclusions of the research.

The study analyzes how young people relate to education, the labor market, financial education, emigration, mental health, technology and personal life, offering a current picture of the behaviors and aspirations of generation Z.

The research is part of the Mindcraft Academy program, developed by the Friends For Friends Foundation, initiated and strategically supported by BRD – Groupe Société Générale, which aims to create a real and constant dialogue with young students in Romania and a better understanding of their needs.

Generation Z is connected, informed and concerned about the impact of economic decisions on everyday life. The study captures this rapid maturation of young people and how their values ​​- responsibility, balance and entrepreneurial spirit – shape a new perspective on education, career and relationship with society.

A connected generation, with increased attention to education and economic realities

For the young people of Generation Z, financial education is no longer just a money management skill, but a form of orientation in a complex economic and digital environment. According to the study, 62% of students declare themselves well informed financially, 86% say they can identify fake news, and 81% recognize online fraud attempts, indicating a better ability to filter information compared to previous generations. 81% of students use e-banking services, compared to 71% of young people who do not attend college.

IT and entrepreneurship, the dominant directions of the generation

The study shows that young Romanians are oriented towards dynamic fields, which offer autonomy and growth potential. IT remains the first choice for a stable and well-paid career, and entrepreneurship is preferred by 40% of respondents as a professional option. At the same time, 85% of young people say they would need more financial education to feel more prepared for the future, which confirms a growing concern for economic independence and understanding the mechanisms that support personal initiative.

Increased interest in political stability and the global context

Unlike previous years, young Romanians declare themselves more attentive to macrosocial issues – political instability, the risks of war and the rise of extremism – than to the lack of jobs. 58% of students carefully follow political changes in Romania, and 14% attach importance to international political developments, a sign of greater openness to the global context. At the same time, online media, podcasts and platforms based on artificial intelligence are becoming the main sources of information, while TikTok and Facebook are losing ground, indicating a maturation in the way of selection and consumption of information.

To the question “In the last 12 months, have you been afraid of: unemployment, illness, war, loneliness, humiliation in public or online, that your family might stop helping you, extremism, poverty, a change of political regime in the country”, 58% of the surveyed students indicated the change of political regime.

The second place in the list of fears was the fear of war – 39.8%, followed by extremism – 36.8%.

In the following places are, in order: illness – 31.3%, poverty – 29.2%, loneliness – 22.3%, that the family might not help you anymore – 22.3%, humiliation in public or online – 16.3%, unemployment – 13.6%.

The war in Ukraine is considered the most worrying event of recent years internationally, by 48.2% of those surveyed, followed by the popularity of extremist political movements in several European countries – 16.3% and political changes in the USA – 13.6%.

College, perceived as a necessary but insufficiently applied stage

For the majority of respondents, college remains a necessary condition for access to better-paid jobs and a useful tool to obtain respect and social stability. However, over half of students (57%) believe that higher education places too much emphasis on theory and too little on practical skills. The results of the study show that students want a closer connection between the faculty and the labor market.

Darie Cristea, coordinating researcher in the study, declared that “Generation Z is the strangest tried in history, young people want an identity, not just a career”.

“Young people are a strategic priority for BRD, part of our commitment to meet the needs of all our clients, and BRD's investments in education aim to create real learning and development contexts for them. Through programs such as Mindcraft Academy, through the BRD HUBs network or through partnerships with the university environment and startup accelerators, we want to offer young people resources, guidance and the freedom to build their own path. This research shows us how they think, what concerns them and how can we be a relevant partner in their training – not only financial, but also human and professional”said Flavia Popa, secretary general of BRD – Groupe Société Générale.

“The chasm that I expected to separate Romanian students from the rest of young people turned out, in the worst case, to be a dry valley. We still have time to build bridges over it. And for that we need solid data, various analyzes and well-targeted interventions. This is what we aim to do at the Friends For Friends Foundation, together with our partners from BRD – Groupe Société Générale, through the Mindcraft Academy program. The present study helps us to go beyond clichés and to know more well students and young people from Romania: a generation that is both concerned and pragmatic, curious and cautious, that shows self-confidence and practices critical thinking”said Vlad Tăuşance, Mindcraft Academy project manager within the Friends For Friends Foundation.

Anthropologist Radu Umbreş and sociologist Răzvan Şerban identified, in the study, four typologies of young people, starting from the question “We chose to start from the question What is important in life?”.

Three value axes were identified and resulted: idealism – non-materialism (finding a vocation, doing good to others, being loved, having a successful career), recognize – relationships – resources (being known, meeting important people, having a successful career), hedonism – exploration – relaxation (traveling a lot, having a lot of free time at your disposal).

Gandalf, Scarlett O'Hara, Hermione Granger and Jack Sparrow typologies

The researchers grouped people into sub-segments and the groups were named after famous literary or film characters: Gandalf, Scarlett O'Hara, Hermione Granger and Jack Sparrow.

Those included in the group Gandalf (37% of the sample) are oriented towards personal development, altruism and experience. Their priorities: vocation, the good of others, good mental state, love, travel, they don't necessarily want fame or money. There are more men, older than the other groups, live in urban areas, have higher education, stable relationships, stable or part-time jobs. They have a high cultural consumption, they get their information from the press, Instagram, high digital skills. They fear war and extremism.

Scarlett O'Hara (27% of the sample): Seeks fame, social status, recognition. With secondary education, they mostly come from rural areas, professional aspirations: IT, banks, budgeting. He thinks college education is too expensive for what it offers. Cultural consumption: selective. They are very active on social media. They are influenced by cryptocurrencies and dating apps. Emigration intention – moderate. They fear poverty, loss of family support, war.

Hermione Granger (26% of the sample) – balanced, pragmatic, avoids excessive exploration. Priorities: love. Most are women. High education, high income, married, full time jobs. I see education as useful. Cultural consumption: average. Digital skills: average. Intention to emigrate: low. Fears: diseases and the war in Ukraine.

Jack Sparrow (12% of the sample) – The group is characterized by apathy, lack of clear motivation. Their priorities: minimal. It consists mostly of young men, from rural areas, alone, with low incomes, with occasional jobs or not working. Low cultural consumption. They get information from TV, Facebook, TikTok. Low emigration intention. Fears: poverty and social humiliation.

“This generation, 18-25 years old, is the most privileged, the luckiest, the most affluent in the history of Romania. Compared to the generation of decrees, it is smaller, their parents are the richest parents that have ever been in Romania. The competition is low, from nursery school, kindergarten, school, university. Because there are few, the family patrimony is divided among few brothers. I do it the best I can. They have opportunities from all points of view. Their fear of mental state shows that they are doing well. If you have come to worry about this, it means that you are no longer fighting for survival. There is competition among them for status, for certain positions, but it does not compare to the competition of a large generation, with many people,” declared Radu Umbreş. “Regarding the comparison between generations, the big ones have a very hard life, but they do a lot of things. When there is higher competition, people have more achievements. Almost everything that is good in Romania today was created by the generation of decrees. They made the Revolution, they took Romania to capitalism. The small generations have an easy life, but they don't do as many things society will become very old maintained by young people less and lessi”, the anthropologist pointed out.