Piper Jaffray released the results of its 38th semi-annual Generation Z survey Taking Stock With Teens this past week in which a total of 9,500 teens with an average age of 15.8 were surveyed in 42 different states. Some interesting findings were discovered about Gen Z.
Top Social And Political Issues For Teens
Despite the age of the Internet and social media addiction, teens still have concerns about the way of the world. According to the survey, the top social and political issues teens care about include gun control (11%), immigration (12%) and the environment (16%).
Instagram No. 1 Social Media Platform
For the third consecutive year, Instagram has remained the most used social media platform for teens with 85 percent of teens preferring the video and image technology. Snapchat follows closely at 81 percent. Twitter (40%), Facebook (31%), and Pinterest (25%) are the other ways that teens engage in social media.
YouTube No. 1 Media Platform
When it comes to media consumption, conventional cable TV is a thing of the past. In this digital world, teens are highly interested in streaming platforms. A total of 35 percent of teens surveyed prefer Netflix over all other platforms. However, in a surprising turn, Youtube is now the No. 1 platform for daily video consumption, even over Netflix, with 37 percent of teens preferring quick videos on various topics from beauty tutorials to video game experiences. Cable TV holds at 12 percent, Hulu at 7 percent and Amazon Prime at 3 percent.
Top Brands for Teens
When teens do have money to shop, they are very selective with their brand choices. Beauty supply and makeup store Ulta (38%) beat out Sephora (26%) for the No. 1 spot. However, cosmetic expenditures have decreased by 21 percent since the last year.
Nike is the No. 1 clothing and footwear brand, beating out Adidas and American Eagle. Meanwhile, Michael Kors remains the top handbag brand at 27 percent of teens preferring the brand over Louis Vuitton (14%) and Coach (11%).
Amazon No. 1 Shopping Platform
The closing of brick-and-mortar stores have been in the news heavy. One of the main reasons why this is occurring is because more and more people are shopping online. For teens, Amazon is the No. 1 online platform to shop. The convenience of finding a variety of products and flexible shipping options make the e-commerce site appealing to teens, increasing utilization from 50 percent to 52 percent over one season.
Chick-fil-A No. 1 Restaurant For Teens
When it comes to eating fast food, teens prefer Chick-Fil-A over all other food chains. In evaluating how teens prefer to spend their money, the survey discovered that food continues to be the No. 1 priority over shopping for clothes or beauty products.
Top Celebrities And Influencers
Kevin Hart is the No. 1 celebrity for teens, followed by Tom Holland, LeBron James, The Rock and Ariana Grande. The appeal of Kevin Hart comes from his consistent posting on social media, which has become a direct mode of communication for the star to his fans. Hart has a way with making his content interesting, posting workout videos, play fighting back and forth with other entertainers, and even responding to the latest news about him.
The No. 1 top influencer is David Dobrik. Kylie Jenner comes in at No. 2, followed by Donald trump, PewDiePie and Emma Chamberlain.
The survey reveals that new developments in technology and the influence of social media have highly impacted the preferences of teens to a great extent and in turn, have changed the way companies do business.
Since 2001, Piper Jaffray has conducted a semi-annual survey that collects data from thousands of teens in the United States. The project analyzes teens’ preferences in technology, media, brands, fashion and spending. In order to gather information, Piper Jaffray accesses a diversity of students at various high schools.
Founded in 1895, Piper Jaffray is a leading investment bank and securities firm that provide services in public finance, equity sales and trading, fixed income sales and trading and asset management. With over 1,300 employees, the firm has multiple locations throughout the U.S., including Texas, Florida, Washington, California, New York, Maryland, and in Hong Kong and London.
