Decoding Gen Z: Digital Habits, Money Moves, and Relationships

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It was about a decade ago when millennials took center stage in pop culture conversations. Millennials became the generation that the media and marketers obsessed over in the last 10 years or so, from being called “entitled” to being associated with avocado toast.

Today, that curiosity has shifted toward a new generation: the Gen Z. This is composed of those born from 1997 to 2012, born after the millennial generation.

Gen Z differs markedly from their predecessors. They are called “digital natives,” as they are the first generation to grow up with the internet. As such, their values, habits, and expectations set them apart in the way they consume media, navigate work and money, engage with brands, and build relationships.

Much has already been said about this emerging generation, and yet there is still so much we’re discovering as they come into their own. This report sought to deepen that understanding as Gen Z enters adulthood and takes on a more active role in society.

In this report, we explored how Gen Z navigates media, work, money, brands, and relationships. The Nerve ran online surveys and used Synth, our AI-powered online interview platform, to get key insights straight from Filipino Gen Zs. This study also used Probe, The Nerve’s forensic solutions for narrative and content analysis of online articles and social media posts, to complement the Synth results.

This report aims to offer a clearer understanding of who Gen Z is becoming and what they expect from the world around them.

Who are the Gen Zs?

The majority of the insights in this report came from Nerve’s Synth online survey that ran from September 5 to October 20, 2025, which garnered 745 respondents — 332 of whom are Gen Zs.

We further segmented these respondents into distinct cohorts to better understand who they are, how they behave, and what drives their attitudes and decisions toward their information consumption habits, brand influence, and career and financial goals.

We identified 4 distinct cohorts using K-modes clustering:

The Nerve’s cohort profiling showed that although Gen Zs share common behaviors, like relying on social media for news and seeking multiple income sources, their underlying motivations differ fundamentally. This is important because it allows us to view Gen Zs not as a homogenous group, but rather as a diverse set of mindsets shaped by different motivations, priorities, and life circumstances.

Pragmatism vs. purpose. The bulk of Gen Z falls under Progress-First (36.45%) and Value-First (34.64%), together accounting for over 70% of respondents whose motivations center on career growth and financial stability. On the other end of the spectrum is Purpose-First (9.64%), the smallest but most idealistic group, placing “Making a Positive Impact” and “Personal Values Alignment” at the top of their job priorities.

Consumption is driven by practicality. For the vast majority of Gen Z, consumer decisions are transactional and practical, but the Purpose-First cohort defies this trend. The majority of Gen Z (Progress-First, Value-First, and Stability-First) are overwhelmingly practical in their purchasing, prioritizing high-quality products/services and affordability. The Purpose-First cohort is the only segment whose typical purchase approach is overwhelmingly “Value-Alignment,” prioritizing socially responsible and ethical practices even above affordability.

Financial necessity drives multiple income streams. All Gen Z segments recognize the need for financial stability, but their approaches to work differ based on their primary driver. While Value-First focuses on “Salary and Benefits,” Progress-First focuses on “Career Growth,” and Stability-First focuses on the “Type of Work.”

Want to know more about decoding your target audience for your next campaign? Click this link to download the full report.