Survey: Eight out of ten young people from Generation Z, worried about the high cost of living

Young people from Generation Z live with a high level of stress and anxiety, with the biggest concerns being generated by the high cost of living (79.3%) and the impossibility of putting money aside for unexpected expenses and a better long-term financial situation (48.2%) according to an online survey conducted by Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari.   Thus, over 75% of the young people state they face stress and anxiety at least several times a week and for almost three out of ten the states are associated with physical manifestations such as headaches, palpitations or sleeping issues, show the survey made among 1,102 interviewees, about stress and anxiety of the generation Z. The biggest worries are generated by their future, six out of ten say they feel uncertainty and anxiety, the worries being generated by the personal financial situation (48.8%), by the financial perspectives in the future (37.9%), by social pressure (36.2) as well as by personal health state or family health state (31%). At the other end, the future is regarded with optimism by 17.2% of the young people in generation Z and only one in ten has the security and the peace when it comes to personal perspectives.   Over 43% of the intervieweees of GenZ see that they cannot control what the future has in store for them, so they concentrate on managing stress and anxiety. Most choose to work with their emotional balance, either by spending time with the family and friends (58.6%), or by relaxation activities (39.6%) and sport (37.9%), the survey says.   On the other hand, almost four out of ten fear something unexpected might happen to them and they are worried because they have no concrete solution such as saved money or insurance which could cover the risk and the expenses.   'GenZ is not a fragile generation, but a lucid one. They feel more, they see more and they live more intensely all the changes around them. It is a generation which has learned to live in a volatile economy but which has not yet learnt to protect themselves. That is why their anxiety is not weakness but an alarm signal that the need for security cannot be postponed anymore for'later'. In a world where everything changes from one month to another, protection before saving becomes a gesture of early maturity. To have a life insurance when you are young does not mean you prepare for what is worse, but you take the liberty to live without fear seriously', says Virgil Soncutean, CEOof Allianz-Tiriac Asigurari, quoted in the press release.   Many of the young people of Generation Z are aware of their protection needs and have seen, including from personal experience, the financial impact that a personal or family health problem can have (43%), a significant unplanned expense (34.5%), temporary loss of income (15.5%) or an accident or emergency surgery (12%).   Over 8 out of 10 believe that they would need no more than 40,000 lei in such a situation, another 12% believe the amount would be up to 200,000 lei and only 5% estimate the need above this threshold, according to the survey. In the absence of these resources, in the last year only 29.3% have tried to save, while only almost 2% have taken out insurance for more financial peace of mind and, implicitly, less stress.   In stress management efforts, only 8% of interviewees to the Allianz-Tiriac survey say they discuss their anxieties with an AI for a different perspective, and another 34% have tried, but with the reservation of the lack of emotional intelligence and human filter, especially since international studies show that AI can be influenced in the reactions and advice it offers. Thus, young people remain reserved to seek emotional support in artificial intelligence, using it rather when seeking information about solutions for greater financial security. In contract, 27.6% prefer to talk about their emotions with family or friends, and almost 19% declare they do not trust an AI for discussions about personal problems.   The Allianz-Tiriac survey was conducted in October 2025, nationwide, on a total sample of 1,102 internet users in Romania. Approximately 51% of interviewees are male, 85% live in urban areas, and over 58% have monthly income greater than 4,000 lei.   Allanz-Tiriac is part of the German Allianz group, one of the largest providers of financial services and insurance.