America This Week Wave 238

Gen Z Regret Social Media, Millionaires Don’t Feel Like It, Overscheduled Parents, and The Ideal Boss.

The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll

What do you do when you have national divisiveness fatigue? According to our ATW tracker, fielded from September 12th to 14th among 2,122 Americans, we are going local. Nearly (61%) wish for deeper relationships with people in their communities, and (83%) agree it feels good to welcome someone new into their communities. (Like in Springfield, Ohio).

This week, we have four new stories:

• Nearly half of Gen Z regret social media ever being invented.
• You may be a millionaire, but why don’t you feel wealthy?
• Overscheduled kids take a toll on parents, too.
• Today’s job seekers want more honest, personal relationships with their managers.

Gen Z Has Regrets: New York Times-Harris Poll

In an op-ed in the New York Times, our co-CEO, Will Johnson, and Dr. Jonathan Haidt, an NYU social psychologist, investigate the damage young people feel social media has inflicted upon their well-being.

• Nearly all American teenagers use social media regularly, and we found that over (60%) of Gen Z adults spend at least four hours a day scrolling, with a quarter (23%) online seven or more hours a day.
• Yet, they recognize the harm of social media: Six in ten (60%) Gen Z adults say social media has a negative rather than a positive impact on society (32%).
• The good & the bad: Turning to their own lives, (52%) say social media has benefited them, but (29%) say it has hurt them personally.
• The ultimate test: We asked respondents to tell us which platforms they wished were “never invented,” where X/Twitter (50%) and TikTok (47%) topped the list, followed by Snapchat (43%), Facebook (37%), and Instagram (34%).

Takeaway: Gen Z-ers see substantial dangers and costs from social media. Nearly half (45%) “would not or will not allow my child to have a smartphone before reaching high school age (i.e., about 14 years old),” and (57%) say parents should restrict their child’s access to smartphones before that age. Although only (36%) support social media bans for those under 16, (69%) support a law requiring social media companies to develop a child-safe option for users under 18. This high level of support is accurate across race, gender, social class, and sexual orientation, and it has important implications for the House of Representatives, which is considering just such a bill, the Kids Online Safety Act.

Most Millionaires Don’t Feel Wealthy: Northwestern Mutual-Harris Poll

Maybe it’s record inflation or a bumpy stock market. However, our new research with Northwestern Mutual in Business Insider found that two-thirds of U.S. millionaires don’t consider themselves “wealthy.”

• Context: In one study, 5.5 million U.S. individuals hold over $1 million in liquid investable assets, comprising (37%) of the world’s millionaires.
• Yet we find (32%) with more than $1 million in investable assets consider themselves “wealthy.” And almost half (48%) of them say their financial plans need improving.
• Still, you guys are doing ok: (78%) of millionaires consider themselves disciplined financial planners (v. 45% of Gen Pop), and (84%) have long-term financial plans that account for economic fluctuations (v. 54%).

Takeaway: “For most Americans, ‘feeling like a million bucks’ is less about believing you’re rich and more about exuding confidence and clarity about the future,” said John Roberts, chief field officer at Northwestern Mutual. “But for many millionaires, money alone doesn’t create clarity — financial plans do.”

Overscheduling Can Ruin Relationships: Skylight-Harris Poll

According to our collaboration with Skylight, featured in Parents, back-to-school brings added pressure to parents’ relationships.

• Context: “To put it simply, the mental load is the cognitive, physical, and emotional work it takes to care for children and maintain a home,” says Bridget Jones, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist.
• Scheduling overload: Parents spend 30.4 hours weekly planning and coordinating family tasks and schedules and would earn $60k if compensated.
• And (61%) of parents say the scheduling load has decreased their time with their partner, with nearly half (47%) saying overscheduling stress reduces intimacy.
• Nearly a quarter (25%) have sought therapy to cope with family schedules.

Takeaway: “This felt quite shocking even though, as a working mother of two, I shouldn’t have been so surprised,” says Maddy Hague, the creative director of performance at Skylight. “These results validated the conversations I’ve been having at Skylight and with other parents. We all feel stretched thin, so it felt important to dive deeper into how the mental load impacts our time and relationships.”

Job Seekers to Managers: Let’s Be Honest: Express Employment Professionals-Harris Poll

Maybe it’s because a third of employed Americans told us they were working for a toxic boss. A new Harris survey with Express Employment Professionals in HR Dive finds (according to job seekers) that honesty is the prized trait of an effective manager.

• (36%) of job seekers say open communication with new managers is “essential.”
• (69%) agree, they should feel comfortable discussing personal issues with their managers if they impact their work.
• (82%) would be more loyal to their company if they could be candid with their manager.
• Unfortunately for employers, companies may overestimate how much their employees trust them, according to a PwC report.

Takeaway: “The foundation of any good relationship is trust, which is no different in the workplace,” said Express Employment International CEO Bill Stoller. “Like other leadership training, managers can significantly benefit from structured programs emphasizing healthy communication and the ability to handle challenging conversations.”