It’s no secret that today’s younger generations value their social experiences. From going to bars and music festivals, all of these activities have been taken away temporarily from fun-loving Gen Z and millennial people due to the spread of the coronavirus.

While they now have the option to enjoy these social activities once again, given that the world has opened back up post-pandemic, it looks like the youth has somewhat learned lessons from the experience.

Saying No

Abigail Lynn/Unsplash | Music festivals usually attract large crowds, which can spell disaster if another outbreak happens

According to a survey by TruePublic of people aged 16 to 35, Gen Z and millennials would likely refrain from going to sports venues, international trips, and festivals. The Chicago-based company’s poll specifically asked about how soon respondents would re-engage in their favorite activities after the pandemic subsided.

TruePublic CEO Kaben Clausen interprets these ‘no’ answers as being affected by the time they were asked, which was still during the middle of the crisis. Clausen said that going through something bad probably led people to be more cautious until a vaccine against the virus is available.

Limited Activities

Dave Photoz/Unsplash | Restaurants were among the many businesses forced to close due to social restrictions during the pandemic

This doesn’t mean that young people are totally closed off any kind of social interaction, though. The same survey found that people would resume dining at restaurants immediately.

It seems that Gen Z and millennial respondents are less wary of returning to places with only a small crowd of people. More than half of those surveyed said that they would resume eating out again once the isolation ends.

However, there were also those who said that they would only dine out again months after the isolation ends (16%) or wait until there’s a vaccine out for COVID-19 (13%). That said, the making and eventual deployment of a vaccine may not be finished until another year and a half.

Online Shopping Habits

Christian Wiediger/Unsplash | Amazon has become a lifeline for some people who need certain supplies delivered to their home

While these cautious sentiments may spell disaster for certain industries, the youth’s desire to stay indoors is a win for e-commerce. More people are reportedly online shopping, a habit we all picked up while staying indoors.

Thus, retailers like e-commerce giant Amazon are the ones seeing gains despite the hits the rest of the economy is taking. However, some experts are still anticipating that people will continue to spend money once stores open again due to pent-up demand for shopping after a long period of isolation.

Arielle Azalea