Kids Are on Phones Because They Can’t Go Outside, Will Gen Z Turn to Trade Schools? Even the Wealthy Worry, & Parents Now Emphasize EQ to Fight AI

The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll

Good morning from Minneapolis.

As always, we start with…One Interesting Stat: 84

More than eight in ten (84%) Gen Zers say they want to escape their phones to live more in the real world. And they appreciate brands that use tech to make this happen. In tandem, Starbucks is eliminating its Gen Z favorite mobile-only pickup stores, as CEO Brian Niccol noted, “They felt too transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand.”

We have four new stories from our polling this week:

1. “To get kids off phones, we need to get them in the real world first”, says Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt and the Harris Poll in The Atlantic.
2. Trade skills might be better for many Gen Z than college, but they need a better pitch.
3. If they can’t make it? Americans making over $200k+ worry about their retirement in a new Harris study with Nerd Wallet.
4. In today’s AI-driven world, parents are shifting their calculus on pre-K education to emphasize creative thinking and social skills, according to a Bright Horizons/Harris Poll.

Kids Would Play Outside More If Not For Helicopter Parents: Harris Poll-The Atlantic

More freedom in the real world would get kids off their phones, our survey finds with best-selling author Jonathan Haidt, Lenore Skenazy, and Zach Rausch.

• Background: We talked to a unique group of Americans whose perspectives we don’t always hear from – children (eight to twelve years old).
• Digital freedom exceeds freedoms IRL: Three-quarters (75%) of American children ages nine to twelve say they regularly play the online game Roblox, but still, most aren’t allowed to be out in public at all without an adult.
• Fewer than half of the eight and nine-year-olds have gone down a grocery-store aisle alone. And more than a quarter aren’t allowed to play unsupervised, even in their front yard.
• Yet these are precisely the kinds of freedoms that kids long for: More children told us they would rather spend time with friends in-person through free play (45%) or organized activity (30%) over online interactions (25%).

Takeaway: “This digital technology has given kids access to virtual worlds, where they’re allowed to roam far more freely than in the real one. Children want to meet up in person, no screens or supervision. But because so many parents restrict their ability to socialize outside on their own, kids resort to the one thing that allows them to hang out with no adults hovering: their phones. Kids will always have more spare hours than adults can supervise—a gap that devices now fill. “Go outside” has been quietly replaced with “Go online.”

Skilled Trades Lost on Gen Z: The Harris Poll Reputation Practice

While AI is wreaking havoc on entry-level jobs, today’s younger workers are often misinformed about the opportunities of a trade career in our latest report in Facilities Dive.

• Nearly four-in-ten are bullish on a trade career: (38%) of Gen Z believe skilled trades offer the best job opportunities today, and (36%) say that skilled trades offer a faster and more affordable pathto a promising career.
• However, just a fifth (22%) of Gen Z recommend vocational/trade school career paths to high school grads.
• Do trades need a better pitch to Gen Z? The U.S.  is facing a severe shortage of skilled tradespeople – especially in the manufacturing and construction sectors where the lack of carpenters, welders, masons, plumbers, and electricians takes a toll on project timelines and budgets.
• The skilled trades are highly respected: (91%) of Americans agree that trade jobs are just as important to society as white-collar jobs; however, almost as many (86%) agree that skilled trade careers are overlooked in schools today. I’ve included the full findings here.

Takeaway: The misperception among younger workers is an issue for employers, who say they need people in skilled trades. Gen Z views jobs as less prestigious than those requiring a four-year degree, lacks knowledge about them, and has doubts about their pay. And, unique to Gen Z, the group is concerned that the jobs offer little security and flexibility.

HENRY’s: High Earner Not Rich Yet: NerdWallet-Harris Poll

As tariffs, inflation, and career uncertainty dominate public anxiety, even the well-off are not immune. Today, if you make good money, but still worry about falling short in retirement, you might be a HENRY (high earner, not rich yet).

• Three in ten (30%) of non-retired HENRYS aren’t confident they’ll have enough money to retire comfortably, despite their high earner status ($200k+ HHI).
• HENRYs have an ill-defined goal: Only four in ten (41%) HENRYs with retirement accounts have a specific retirement savings goal amount.
• Holding steady: Only (16%) of HENRYs with retirement accounts decreased their retirement contributions in the past twelve months, while the same number (16%) haven’t changed the investmentsin their accounts since opening.

Takeaway: “Even though HENRYs earn above-average money, they often face higher expenses living in costly areas,” says Kate Ashford, investing specialist for NerdWallet. “They also may have higher student loan debt and fewer years in the workforce due to the schooling required to land their high-earner jobs. Combined with lifestyle creep, these challenges can make it harder to save enough for retirement.”

Parents on Early Education: Social Skills As Important as ABCs: Bright Horizons-Harris Poll

In today’s AI-driven world, parents are rethinking the role early education plays in preparing their children for lifelong success, as seen in our latest work with Bright Horizons.

• Esteem the new IQ: (82% of parents believe that their children entering kindergarten with confidence is just as important as reciting the alphabet.
• Especially as (71%) of parents with children under age six worry about properly preparing their child(ren) for kindergarten (given today’s shifting career uncertainties).
• In an AI-driven world, parents value creative thinking: (79%) of parents feel that developing creative skills will be crucial for children growing up in this environment.
• While another three-quarters (73%) feel AI will significantly impact the skills critical for children to develop early in life.

Takeaway: “Parents today are navigating a rapidly changing world and want to do everything they can to set their children up for success,” said Rachel Robertson, Chief Academic Officer at Bright Horizons. “This research makes it clear that parents are looking to preschools not just for academics, but for support in building a variety of both social and emotional skills.”