Gen Z Is More Like Boomers Than We Think: Study

While often viewed as digital natives eager to rewrite the rules, Generation Z is revealing a surprisingly traditional side.

New research from youth-focused creative agency Adolescent Content suggests that when it comes to marriage, family, homeownership, and even suburban living, Gen Z shares more in common with baby boomers than with the generation in between.

Why It Matters

These findings complicate assumptions about Gen Z’s attitudes toward traditional life goals. Despite the rising cost-of-living, a changing labor market, and declining birth rates, Gen Z remains committed to many foundational ideals—just with different timing and motivations. The research highlights a generation that’s not rejecting tradition but adapting it to modern realities.

What To Know

Roughly 62 percent of Gen Z either already have children (13 percent) or plan to (49 percent), compared to 70 percent of millennials and 77 percent of boomers, according to Adolescent Content.

However, the higher number among millennials and boomers makes sense given how much older they are compared to Gen Z, who is currently aged anywhere from 13 to 28 years old. The survey revealed Gen Z plans to embrace a more traditional mindset than their millennial elders in many ways.

Despite perceptions that they’re rejecting the nuclear family, Gen Z overwhelmingly favors monogamy—83 percent say they prefer exclusive relationships, a figure identical to boomers. Still, Gen Z is cautious, with 22 percent prioritizing self-development before committing to serious relationships and many cite financial readiness as a key condition for having kids.

Another report, The Times Generation Z study reported that only 21 percent of Gen Z respondents thought marriage was “irrelevant,” a sharp drop from 39 percent two decades ago.

Gen Z’s homeownership aspirations also reflect a more traditional boomer mindset. Roughly 65 percent of Gen Z identify owning a home as a primary financial goal, a much higher rate than millennials (43 percent) and boomers (28 percent), according to Adolescent Content.

While boomers have largely achieved this milestone, Gen Z’s ambitions reflect resilience and a belief in the long-standing promise of the American Dream, which has been less important for millennials, according to survey data.

Another study by John Lewis Money in 2024 found that 35 percent of Gen Z respondents hope to get married, and 34 percent want children—exceeding expectations of youthful wanderlust and travel.

Suburban appeal also remains strong. Thirty-two percent of Gen Z respondents prefer suburbs, trailing only boomers (43 percent). Millennials, by contrast, are least interested at 28 percent. Still, Gen Z is more open to diverse living environments than boomers, with greater interest in urban centers and even mountain areas.

What People Are Saying

Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek: “The findings confirm some of the trends we’ve seen in recent years. Whereas Millennials were the first generation to grow up with an always-online ecosystem and were inspired by it to favor experiences over physical possessions and investments, many in Gen Z don’t share that thinking.”

“With the world at their fingertips through technology since they were born, Gen Z seems less enthralled with capturing and documenting experiences and more looking to reestablish the sources of community and wealth that Baby Boomers took comfort in years ago. It’s also why, incidentally, we’ve seen so much research that shows Gen Z’s income expectations being significantly higher than their Millennial peers.”

Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek: “These findings don’t surprise me at all. The pendulum always swings back. While Millennials often delayed or reconsidered traditional milestones like homeownership and family formation, Gen Z appears to be reclaiming these aspirations, but on their own terms.”

Generational expert Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek: “None of it surprises me. But not because Gen Z is ‘just like Boomers’ but because they’re craving stability in a system designed to keep them from getting it. We need to stop treating Gen Z’s desire for monogamy, kids, and homeownership like some nostalgic return to tradition.”

“This isn’t about embracing 1950s ideals. It’s about trying to build a future in a world where the American Dream has been priced out of reach. Gen Z doesn’t want to be Boomers – they want what Boomers had access to: affordable housing, decent wages, and a path to build a life without drowning in debt.”

What Happens Next?

Despite these aspirations, Gen Z is wary of the roadblocks ahead. Around 74 percent say starting a family today is “moderately to extremely” difficult—compared to only 49 percent of boomers who felt the same in their youth, the report found.

“Gen Z isn’t mimicking Boomers—they’re attempting to perfect what Boomers pioneered,” Ryan said. “They don’t just want the house, they want the sustainable house. Not just marriage, but the equitable marriage. Not just children, but well-adjusted children in a financially secure environment.”