Social science research to improve the understanding of Generation Z (broadly 16-25-year-olds) and their attitudes towards food and the food system.

Since the FSA was established two decades ago, the food system has grown increasingly complex. There have also been shifts in the ways people access and share information about food, the way they group themselves, and in their trust and expectations of Government. Against this backdrop, the FSA commissioned BritainThinks to conduct research to improve understanding of Generation Z (broadly 16-25-year olds) and their attitudes towards food and the food system, so as to provide a robust evidence base to inform strategic planning, policy and communications. The research programme set out to explore:1. Generation Z (Gen Z)’s engagement with food and the food system2. How they make decisions about food, and how they communicate about food3. Gen Z’s attitudes toward the food system, including future aspirations4. Generational differences between Gen Z and older generations, and between previous generations of young people5. Sub-group differences within the 16-25-year-old age groupThis project formed part of FSA’s Strategic Evidence Programme, which addresses the FSA’s cross-cutting and longer-term evidence needs.