Nearly half of Gen Z individuals are willing to accept slower economic growth if policymakers invest in long-term strategy that promotes sustainable growth, according to Dell Technologies.
The company's research shows nearly two-thirds of adults aged 18-26 believe technology will play an important role in fighting climate change.
A total of 15,100 Gen Z adults in 15 countries were questioned for the survey, which was conducted by market research company Savanta ComRes.
Generation Z generally refers to the generation of people born in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Respondents ranked sustainable energy (42%), enabling a circular economy (39%), and more sustainable public transport (29%) as the top three investment areas for government to prioritise.
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A quarter of respondents also expressed support for greater sustainability education for citizens.
Aongus Hegarty, president of international markets at Dell Technologies, said: “Gen Z will arguably be the most impacted by public and private investment decisions taken today and will facilitate and maintain a long-term, sustainable recovery.
"There is an opportunity to earn the support of Gen Z for longer-term strategies that put sustainability at the core of economic growth strategies.”
More than half feel there is a need for robust legislation and higher investment in cybersecurity to protect national infrastructures and ensure private businesses meet tough standards.
To make this happen, and to improve trust in governments, 38% of respondents want private and public sectors to work together and hold each other accountable.
“It’s clear that Gen Z see technology as pivotal for their future prosperity. It is now up to us – leading technology providers, governments, and the public sector – to work together and set them up for success by improving the quality and access to digital learning," Hegarty added.
In response to their views on where governments should prioritise investments to help close the digital divide experience across different locations, demographics and socio-economic groups, Gen Z sees access to devices and connectivity for disadvantaged groups (33%) and connectivity in rural areas (24%) as the most important focus areas.
Over half of Gen Z have low or neutral confidence in their personal data being stored compliantly by healthcare providers, and over half consider flexible and remote working as an important consideration when choosing an employer.
(Pic: Getty Images)
