The New Age of Gen Z: Central and Eastern Europe Spotlight in Global Report

Following last year’s collaboration on the Central & Eastern Europe edition of the 'You are What You Buy' report, Publicis Groupe CEE and GWI are back again to provide insights into Central & Eastern European (CEE) consumers via the 'The New Age of Gen Z' report.

A part of the global edition of the same report and this edition features figures drawn from GWI’s online research among internet users aged 16-64, using data from its ongoing quarterly global research across the following 7 markets in CEE: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Romania. The figures are representative of the online populations of each market, not its total population.

Key Findings:

Embracing mature life stages

Gen z are growing up. With more getting married, becoming parents and complimenting the workforce, their interests range across a broad and diverse spectrum, and brands should reflect these when marketing to them.

Mental health is front-of-mind

In CEE, poor mental health is a prevalent issue among gen z. They’re 89% more likely than the global average to have a mental health condition, of which many say so because of social media. When targeting this group via social, brands need to prioritize mental health awareness to help these groups feel less isolated and more seen.

A generation of early adopters

In a saturated media landscape, attention is typically difficult to capture. But gen z in CEE are built different. Most describe themselves as early adopters of tech, regularly post on social, and almost 80% are simultaneously interacting with both long and short-form media. To maintain attention among this group, utilising a variety of new and existing formats is key.

Maria Tudor, chief operating officer, Publicis Groupe CEE said,” In a region where comprehensive consumer insights are often harder to come by, Publicis Groupe CEE’s collaboration with leading global research expert, GWI, in Central & Eastern Europe, bring a reliable source of deep understanding of the region’s audience to inform the decision-making process along the consumer journey and ultimately, support the delivery of business growth for brands.” Continues Maria, “This time we are looking into the Zoomers, the first true digital natives, the dynamic generation navigating a rapidly changing world, leaving their unique mark on history. Lots of interesting insights to unpack here."

“At the heart of our research is an awareness for brands to understand the shifting needs and views of consumers at any given time, in whichever part of the world they operate”, added Jason Mander, chief research officer at GWI. “Gen z in CEE aren’t going to have the same thoughts, feelings and behaviours as those of the same age in other markets, and our extensive research offers a more complete understanding that will directly benefit client work - from strategy through to execution.”

GWI and Publicis Groupe Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) are currently collaborating across seven markets in the region including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, and Romania – offering a rare glimpse into consumers’ trend in the region as well as enabling the inclusion of the CEE region’s representation in key global studies by GWI.

The global edition of 'The New Age of gen z' report is available here. To access the Central & Eastern Europe edition of the report, please request for it by filling in this form here.