Gen Z is less happy than previous generations, and it may be because they value this one thing

A recent Gallup poll found that as Gen Z reaches adulthood, their happiness levels significantly decrease.

• Gen Z's happiness is primarily motivated by a sense of purpose, a new poll found.
• However, happiness levels decrease for members of the age group as they reach adulthood.
• The Gallup survey collected data from more than 2,000 Americans ages 12 to 26. 

Happiness may be hard to define, but Gen Z knows at least one thing that helps them achieve it.

According to a recent survey from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, 73% of people ages 12 to 26 describe themselves as very happy or somewhat happy.

The poll collected online data from more than 2,000 Gen Z Americans over the course of four days in November 2023 as part of a larger project focusing on the age group.

But while nearly two-thirds of Gen Z identify as happy, that percentage drops significantly as people in the age group right as they reach adulthood (ages 18 to 26). It's a dip that often coincides with a decline in the factors that Gen Z ranks as most important to their happiness, according to the survey.

The most influential driver of happiness for members of the generation is a sense of purpose in their work or school, researchers found.

"What is important to Gen Z is whether they feel like their life matters and they're making a difference, more so than, 'Am I going to work making a ton of money, getting a big promotion,' things like that,'" Zach Hrynowski, one of the study's authors, told CNN this week.

But 43% to 49% of Gen Z said they don't feel like what they do each day is interesting, important, or motivating, according to the poll.

Business Insider has previously reported on Gen Z's new approach to the workplace, including the generation's dislike for the standard 9 to 5 corporate lifestyle and their tendency to speak their minds freely in the workplace. 

Gen Zers need to feel like their life is significant in order to achieve happiness, the study found, and perhaps because of this requirement, people in the age group are less likely to have positive feelings about their lives than members of older generations did at the same age, Hrynowski told CNN.

The Gallup study isn't a direct comparison but did use previous surveys to assess differing happiness levels between Gen Z and prior generations, Hrynowski told the outlet.

Adequate amounts of sleep and relaxation ranked second among factors contributing to Gen Z happiness. Those who get enough sleep each night are twice as likely to describe themselves as happy, the study found.

The happiest members of the generation are also those most likely to feel love and support from those close to them. In contrast, people who compare themselves to others are more likely to feel frequent anxiety, according to researchers.

"There's this perception that Gen Z is really connected, but are those connections of a high quality in there? Are they giving you the love and the support that you really need?" Hrynowski told CNBC.

The poll also found that members of Gen Z who identify as LGBTQ+ are 16 percentage points less likely to say they are happy — an important data point given previous Gallup research that found as many as 1 in 5 members of the age group identify as queer.