How to design mental health tools for Gen Z
Gen Z will soon account for ⅓ of the workforce
By 2030, Generation Z (generally considered to be born between 1995 and 20121) will account for 30% of the workforce.2 As the most racially diverse generation in US history, this group of young adults are tech savvy, inclusive, and educated, having grown up alongside the advent of social media and social justice movements such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.1,3 While this all sounds like good news for employers, the reality is that despite their impressive resumes, many are struggling with their mental health.
Accommodating Gen Z in the $238 billion mental health industry
Only about half (45%) of Gen Z classify their mental health as good or very good, and they’ve been identified as the loneliest generation.4,5 This has consequences in the workplace: as of 2021, 81% of Gen Zs report having previously left a job for mental health reasons.6
While many workplaces offer resources for mental health, these can often fall short of Gen Z employees’ needs. For example, many prefer turning to social media or digital tools for mental health and favor in-person therapy to telehealth.7
The US expenditure for mental health services was an immense ~$238 billion USD in 2020,8 and mental health apps have already begun to permeate the industry. There are, however, significant opportunities for improvement in shaping these services to meet the unique Gen Z needs and preferences.
References
- Gomez, K., Mawhinney, T., & Betts, K. (n.d.). Welcome to Gen Z (Network of Executive Women). Deloitte.
- Jancourt, M. (2020). Gen Z and the workplace: Can we all get along? Corporate Real Estate Journal, 10(1). https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/hsp/crej/2020/00000010/00000001/art00004
- Schroth, H. (2019). Are You Ready for Gen Z in the Workplace? California Management Review, 61(3), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125619841006
- Bethune, S. (2019, January). Gen Z more likely to report mental health concerns. Monitor on Psychology, 50(2), 20.
- New Cigna Study Reveals Loneliness at Epidemic Levels in America. (2018, May 1). Cigna. https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8294451-cigna-us-loneliness-survey/
- Greenwood, K., & Anas, J. (2021, October 4). It’s a New Era for Mental Health at Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/10/its-a-new-era-for-mental-health-at-work
- Coe, E., Cordina, J., Enomoto, K., Jacobson, R., Mei, S., & Seshan, N. (2022, January 14). Addressing Gen Z mental health challenges. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/addressing-the-unprecedented-behavioral-health-challenges-facing-generation-z
- Total mental health services expenditure U.S. 1986-2020. (n.d.). Statista. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/252393/total-us-expenditure-for-mental-health-services/
- Szymkowiak, A., Melović, B., Dabić, M., Jeganathan, K., & Kundi, G. S. (2021a). Information technology and Gen Z: The role of teachers, the internet, and technology in the education of young people. Technology in Society, 65, 101565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101565
- Brodey, D. (2022, April 19). The Business of Mental Health Care Now: Can Corporations Solve the Problem? Psycom. https://www.psycom.net/mental-health-care-solutions
- Malla, A., Shah, J., Iyer, S., Boksa, P., Joober, R., Andersson, N., Lal, S., & Fuhrer, R. (2018). Youth Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority for Health Care in Canada. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 63(4), 216–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743718758968
- Pichler, S., Kohli, C., & Granitz, N. (2021). DITTO for Gen Z: A framework for leveraging the uniqueness of the new generation. Business Horizons, 64(5), 599–610. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.021
- Generation Z Most Likely to Have Poor Mental Health. (2019, January 15). Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/generation-z-most-likely-to-have-poor-mental-health/
- Stepped Care. (n.d.). Mental Health Matters. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.mhm.org.uk/Pages/FAQs/Category/stepped-care
- Richtel, M. (2021, December 7). Surgeon General Warns of Youth Mental Health Crisis. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/science/pandemic-adolescents-depression-anxiety.html
- Cuncic, A., & Lockhart, A.-L. T. (2021, March 25). Why Gen Z Is More Open to Talking About Their Mental Health. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/why-gen-z-is-more-open-to-talking-about-their-mental-health-5104730
- Billings, D. M., Kowalski, K., Shatto, B., & Erwin, K. (2016). Moving on From Millennials: Preparing for Generation Z. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 47(6), 253–254. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20160518-05
- What do Generation Z and millennials expect from technology in education? (2018, May 24). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/ped-blogs/blogs/2018/05/generation-z-millennials-expect-technology-education.html
- Poláková, P., & Klímová, B. (2019). Mobile Technology and Generation Z in the English Language Classroom—A Preliminary Study. Education Sciences, 9(3), 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030203
- Wu, T.-T., Huang, Y.-M., Shadiev, R., Lin, L., & Starčič, A. I. (2018). Innovative Technologies and Learning: First International Conference, ICITL 2018, Portoroz, Slovenia, August 27–30, 2018, Proceedings. Springer.
- Fernández-Cruz, F.-J., & Fernández-Díaz, M.-J. (2016). Generation Z’s teachers and their digital skills. Comunicar, 24(46), 97–105.https://doi.org/10.3916/C46-2016-10
About the Authors
Lindsey Turk
Lindsey Turk is a Summer Content Associate at The Decision Lab. She holds a Master of Professional Studies in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Boston University. Over the last few years, she’s gained experience in customer service, consulting, research, and communications in various industries. Before The Decision Lab, Lindsey served as a consultant to the US Department of State, working with its international HIV initiative, PEPFAR. Through Cornell, she also worked with a health food company in Kenya to improve access to clean foods and cites this opportunity as what cemented her interest in using behavioral science for good.
Marielle Montenegro
Marielle Montenegro has a background in behavioural neuroscience from McGill University. Her prior experience ranges from projects in behavioural finance to health, where she was responsible for designing programs that unlocked barriers to medication adherence, curating behaviourally guided content for financial planners and informing policy to improve access to and perceptions of mental health services in University. Prior to working at The Decision Lab, she was based in Johannesburg working as a Behavioural Policy Analyst, where she designed impact measurement framework to assess the effectiveness of telecommunication policies on access to communications in rural communicates.
Dr. Sekoul Krastev
Sekoul is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at The Decision Lab. He is a bestselling author of Intention - a book he wrote with Wiley on the mindful application of behavioral science in organizations. A decision scientist with a PhD in Decision Neuroscience from McGill University, Sekoul's work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and has been presented at conferences around the world. Sekoul previously advised management on innovation and engagement strategy at The Boston Consulting Group as well as on online media strategy at Google. He has a deep interest in the applications of behavioral science to new technology and has published on these topics in places such as the Huffington Post and Strategy & Business.
About us
We are the leading applied research & innovation consultancy
Our insights are leveraged by the most ambitious organizations
“
I was blown away with their application and translation of behavioral science into practice. They took a very complex ecosystem and created a series of interventions using an innovative mix of the latest research and creative client co-creation. I was so impressed at the final product they created, which was hugely comprehensive despite the large scope of the client being of the world's most far-reaching and best known consumer brands. I'm excited to see what we can create together in the future.
Heather McKee
BEHAVIORAL SCIENTIST
GLOBAL COFFEEHOUSE CHAIN PROJECT
OUR CLIENT SUCCESS
$0M
Annual Revenue Increase
By launching a behavioral science practice at the core of the organization, we helped one of the largest insurers in North America realize $30M increase in annual revenue.
0%
Increase in Monthly Users
By redesigning North America's first national digital platform for mental health, we achieved a 52% lift in monthly users and an 83% improvement on clinical assessment.
0%
Reduction In Design Time
By designing a new process and getting buy-in from the C-Suite team, we helped one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world reduce software design time by 75%.
0%
Reduction in Client Drop-Off
By implementing targeted nudges based on proactive interventions, we reduced drop-off rates for 450,000 clients belonging to USA's oldest debt consolidation organizations by 46%
