• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Personal FinanceInflation

​​Gen Z and millennials feel they’ll never be able to afford what they want in life

By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
July 12, 2022, 10:49 AM ET
Millennial couple looking at bills at home.
Gen Z and millennials feel they’ll never be able to afford what they want in life.Getty Images

For all their differences, back-to-back generations Gen Z and millennials agree on one thing: They believe they’ll never be able to afford most of the things they want most in life.

That grim outlook comes from a recent survey by mobile banking app Dave and Harris Poll, which found that 61% of millennial and Gen Z respondents reported a lack of confidence about affording their dream future. The poll surveyed over 1,000 Americans ages 18 to 41.

The findings echo Morning Consult’s Q1 2022 State of Consumer Banking and Payments report, released in January, which found that nearly half of millennials felt their money situation would keep them from getting what they want in life. Thirty-eight percent of millennials reported frequently feeling behind on their finances—about 13 percentage points higher than the average U.S. adult who feels similarly. 

Gen Z is right behind. Both they and millennials graduated into vastly different yet similarly brutal economic climates for young workers—and both are experiencing inflation for the first time. Three-quarters reported feeling as though they’re just getting by financially. Millennials are more likely to believe the money they currently have or plan to save won’t last (50%) compared to Gen Z (35%).

That adds up; graduating and entering the workforce during a historic recession posed an ongoing roadblock between millennials and their ability to build wealth. Over the past decade and a half, the generation has faced soaring home prices, stagnant wage growth, and crushing student loan debt.

Things aren’t much better for Gen Z, the oldest of whom went into quarantine less than a year after graduating college. While they are roundly winning the job market at present, that relative safety net was a long time coming; at the beginning of the pandemic, job losses hit the youngest workers the hardest.

Inflation is only compounding matters by consistently hurting younger people—those with the least amount of income and savings—the most. In the near term, over half of the Dave and Harris Poll survey respondents (53%) said they’d likely forgo big-ticket plans, like vacationing or attending weddings or family reunions, because of rising inflation. And for those that are still planning to vacation—about six in 10 respondents—42% said they’re only able to do so by stretching their budget or going into debt. 

“Everyone is experiencing rising inflation; everyone has seen what supply-chain constraints are doing; but these generations have been having these concerns over the last few years,” Michele Parmelee, Deloitte’s global deputy CEO and chief people and purpose officer, told Fortune in May, on the heels of a Deloitte report finding that nearly half of Gen Z and millennials live paycheck to paycheck.

To stave off financial disaster, these workers are getting creative and working side jobs. As Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at Bankrate, told Fortune at the time, “Working extra hours just to make ends meet feels like a negative story about inflation and represents a difficult situation.”

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Author
By Jane Thier
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Personal Finance

Sam Altman
Arts & EntertainmentMedia
‘We’re not just going to want to be fed AI slop for 16 hours a day’: Analyst sees Disney/OpenAI deal as a dividing line in entertainment history
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 11, 2025
6 hours ago
Personal FinanceLoans
Is it worth it to pay off a personal loan early?
By Joseph HostetlerDecember 11, 2025
7 hours ago
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of December 11, 2025
By Danny BakstDecember 11, 2025
14 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Thursday, December 11, 2025
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Thursday, December 11, 2025
By Joseph HostetlerDecember 11, 2025
15 hours ago
Powell
EconomyFederal Reserve
Trump slams Fed’s third-straight rate cut as ‘too small,’ saying he wishes it was twice as large
By Christopher Rugaber and The Associated PressDecember 11, 2025
15 hours ago
mackenzie
Personal Financephilanthropy
‘This year, I really see education and climate’: Patterns in billionaire MacKenzie Scott’s massive giving emerge with time
By Thalia Beaty and The Associated PressDecember 11, 2025
16 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Success
At 18, doctors gave him three hours to live. He played video games from his hospital bed—and now, he’s built a $10 million-a-year video game studio
By Preston ForeDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Investing
Baby boomers have now 'gobbled up' nearly one-third of America's wealth share, and they're leaving Gen Z and millennials behind
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 8, 2025
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Be careful what you wish for’: Top economist warns any additional interest rate cuts after today would signal the economy is slipping into danger
By Eva RoytburgDecember 10, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
Exclusive: U.S. businesses are getting throttled by the drop in tourism from Canada: ‘I can count the number of Canadian visitors on one hand’
By Dave SmithDecember 10, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
‘We have not seen this rosy picture’: ADP’s chief economist warns the real economy is pretty different from Wall Street’s bullish outlook
By Eleanor PringleDecember 11, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Palantir cofounder calls elite college undergrads a ‘loser generation’ as data reveals rise in students seeking support for disabilities, like ADHD
By Preston ForeDecember 11, 2025
12 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.