Skip to Main Content

State of the YAYA: Where to Start

State of the YAYA

YAYA:

  • Youth and Young Adults
  • 18-24 year old consumers
  • Generation Z

2025 Concepts:

  • Will AI Ruin the World?
  • Is Anything Taboo?
  • What is Success?

Concept 1: Will AI Ruin the World?

Topics to consider:

  • How are YAYAs using AI today?
  • What do they perceive as moral vs. immoral uses of AI?
  • Is an AI generated response authentic?
  • Are you excited or scared about what the future holds in terms of AI?
  • Can you tell if an ad is created with AI? Does it matter to you?
  • How is AI being used in the entertainment industry today?

Potential qualitative topics to explore:

  • What are YAYA attitudes regarding how AI is affecting things like human/personal expression? Is it taking away or superseding what humans contribute? Art, music, film, etc. Is it democratizing creativity?
  • How is AI making life better? Easier? (or the opposite)

Concept 2: Is Anything Taboo?

Topics to consider:

  • YAYAs are coming of age in a new era with the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, gambling/sports betting, and an openess to sexual expression
  • What is drug culture? What does it symbolize?
  • Is gambling a vice? Do YAYAs have an interest in gambling?
  • What are attitudes and perceptions toward religion, spirituality, and other belief systems?
  • What are attitudes and perceptions toward topics of gender and sexual identity?
  • How do YAYAs define what customs, norms, and behaviors are acceptable in society?

Potential qualitative topics to explore:

  • How do YAYAs perceive older social constructs related to "taboo" topics?
  • What kinds of things do they see as taboo? Do they think future generations will normalize things they consider taboo?

Concept 3: What is Success?

Topics to consider:

  • How much must someone earn/have in the bank to be considered wealthy?
  • What are the most important symbols of wealth in YAYAs' minds?
  • What is currency (literally and figuratively)?
  • What are YAYA attitudes and behaviors toward Ethereum, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies?
  • How are YAYAs paying for things?
  • Do YAYAs negotiate transcations differently than older demographics?
  • Do YAYAs tie morality to wealth? Do they use wealth as a determining factor in an individual's moral or societal value?

Potential qualitative topics to explore:

  • How is wealth defined in YAYA culture? What constitutes wealth?
  • Do YAYAs want to be wealthy? Do their dreams and aspirations lead to monetary wealth? Or something else?

Library Info

MU Journalism Library

401 S 9th St, Columbia, MO 65211

jlib@missouri.edu

(573) 882-7502

Journalism Library

Profile Photo
Gabe Harman
He/They
Contact:
103B Reynolds Journalism Institute
(573) 882-0660

Database Access

Some links listed in this guide will require a login.

  • Your username is your MU pawprint (the part of your email that comes before the @)
  • Your password is your MU password (the one you use to login to email)

To find a specific database:

To find a specific article:

  • Go to http://library.missouri.edu/journalism
  • Select "A Specific Article" under "Looking For"
  • If you have the DOI or PMID, use those for an easier search
  • Enter the journal title, volume, number, page number, and year