Gen Z and Millennial Survey 2026

Gen Z and Millennials: Work-life balance is most important goal despite the impact of cost of living

• Cost of living remains the top concern for both Gen Z (44%) and Millennials (52%) in the UK;
• Work-life balance is the top career goal for both generations in the UK;
• Both generations are interested in leadership roles, but fewer than 5% say it is their primary goal;
• Vast majority of UK Gen Z and Millennials say their mental health is good, but family health, finances, and long working hours are sources of anxiety;
• Both generations feel AI has positively impacted both their personal and work lives.

While the cost of living is the top concern for both UK generations (for 44% of Gen Zs and 52% of millennials), Deloitte’s 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey* reveals that work-life balance is their top career goal (20% of Gen Zs and 24% of millennials), followed by achieving financial independence (19% and 18%) and becoming an expert in their field (16% and 12%).

Now in its 15^th year, the survey gathered insights from more than 22,500 Gen Z and Millennial respondents across 44 countries, including 806 participants from the UK. The survey explored their perspectives, experiences, and career ambitions.

Financial pressure is reshaping professional timelines

According to the survey, financial strain is widespread among both generations in the UK, with around 40% (41% and 43%) indicating that they live payslip to payslip.

46% of Gen Zs and 46% of millennials in the UK say they have delayed major life decisions due to their financial situation, and more than half of Gen Z (55%) and Millennials (59%) say that the affordability of housing impacts their career decisions.

While interest in leadership roles is widespread, with 84% of Gen Zs and 73% of Millennials in the UK interested in pursuing leadership roles at some point in their careers, only 5% of Gen Zs and 3% of Millennials say it is their primary career goal.

The most cited barriers to leadership globally are stress and burnout (50% of Gen Zs and 49% of Millennials), excessive responsibility (50% of Gen Zs and 48% of Millennials), and concerns about work/life balance (41% of Gen Zs and 46% of Millennials). Though the vast majority of UK respondents say their mental health is good, family health, finances, and long working hours are sources of anxiety. Around one third (32% of Gen Zs and 27% of Millennials) say they feel stressed all or most of the time.

Impact of AI is evolving

82% of Gen Zs and 81% of Millennials in the UK said they used AI in their day-to-day work and both generations feel AI has positively impacted both their personal and work lives. 88% of UK Gen Zs and 85% of Millennials found it positively impacted their personal lives, and 87% of Gen Zs and 83% of Millennials experienced a positive impact on their work lives.

A higher proportion of UK Gen Zs (55%) and Millennials (45%) report having sufficient employer-provided AI tools compared to their global counterparts (35% and 40% respectively). Alongside this, 81% of UK Gen Zs are confident or very confident that they can use AI in their roles at work (68% globally), alongside 77% of UK Millennials (66% globally).

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Notes to editors

To learn more about the Deloitte Global 2026 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, please visit: www.deloitte.com/genzmillennialsurvey

Methodology

*The 2026 Gen Z and millennial Survey solicited the views of 14,384 Gen Zs (born between January 1995 and December 2007*) and 8,211 millennials (born between January 1983 and December 1994). In total 22,595 respondents were surveyed from 44 countries across North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. The survey was conducted using an online, self-complete-style interview completed between 24 November 2025 and 15 January 2026. There were a total of 806 respondents in the UK: 504 Gen Zs and 302 millennials.

*Gen Zs are typically defined as being born between January 1995 and December 2010, but this study does not include respondents younger than 18, so each year the definition of Gen Zs in this survey shifts a year to include all adult Gen Zs.