Gen C(ovid): A new segment shaping the future for brands.

Those of us in the customer insights world have always been fascinated by generational research.

It has been invaluable in a variety of arenas to understand the optimism and drive of Baby Boomers, the independence and skepticism of Gen X and the team orientation and curiosity of Millennials. This perspective helps brands market more effectively. It motivates educational institutions to redesign curricula. It guides policy makers, as they tailor social programs to help organizations create work environments that are most conducive. And it can even reveal what’s behind voter preferences.

Although predicting the future is a huge challenge, we know that if we understand a generation, we can paint a picture of how it will behave and consume and shape our world.

Over the last several years, Gen Z has gotten our attention as a progressive, diverse, digital and entrepreneurial segment of our population. Older Gen Zers are already in the workforce and helping to redefine how, when and where we work.

This came to life for me when a friend told me about her son, a junior in high school, who recently said to her, “Mom, because of Covid, I am 17 years old, and I have never had a drink, smoked a cigarette, had a girlfriend or gone to a high-school dance.” It was striking to ponder that.

Consider everything that mattered to you when you were a teenager: the need to be more independent, to rebel, to explore the world, to experiment and be adventurous, to focus more on friends, to party, to dream.

And then, imagine that right at that time in your life, you were required instead to stay home, wear a mask, attend school online and skip many of the experiences that shape the journey to adulthood.

The idea of trying to understand this cohort, separate from Gen Z, was irresistible. What we needed was in-depth research on the young people who stepped into their formative teenage years amid the tumult of the pandemic.

Our hypothesis was that Covid indelibly shaped and maybe even changed this subset of Gen Z’s worldview, values, behaviors and preferences. As a result, it was a separate segment from older Gen Zers.

We call them Generation C(ovid).

The idea of trying to understand this cohort, separate from Gen Z, was irresistible. What we needed was in-depth research on the young people who stepped into their formative teenage years amid the tumult of the pandemic.

In thinking about how to conduct the generational research, it became clear that two research agencies could do the kind of deep-dive study this would require: 

1. Sago, a leading global research partner , excels at the kind of qualitative and quantitative research that builds incredible trust with respondents.

2.  And C Space, the pioneer of Online Communities, empowering customer-inspired solutions to deliver strategic impact and grow your business.

We are all lucky that the two firms agreed to collaborate.

Ultimately, we surveyed over 1,000 teens across the country – representative of region, household, income levels, gender, race/ethnicity – and conducted in-depth interviews with 32 teens and 12 parents. The resulting report delves into the depths of Gen C’s psyche, exploring how the pandemic’s shadow casted a lasting influence on people’s life choices, behaviors and aspirations.

Unlike any generation before, Gen C has been sculpted by a unique blend of global crises, technological advancements and societal shifts, all converging at a critical juncture in these individuals’ developmental years.

Our analysis reveals that Gen C is not just an extension of Gen Z. While Gen Cers share the digital fluency and progressive values characteristic of late Gen Z, they have a distinct set of traits: heightened adaptability, resilience and a redefined understanding of work, education and social interaction.

Their consumption patterns, social engagement and career aspirations reflect a blend of pragmatism and innovation born from navigating a world where uncertainty is the only constant. And, although they have gone to fewer in-person parties, they demonstrate a striking level of maturity that comes from enduring difficult times at a young age.

We hope that you find the full report illuminating and provocative, and that, as always, you will send us your feedback.