A study conducted in Sri Lanka to understand the behaviour of Generation Z, also known as Centennials.

1. UNDERSTANDINGGENZ
ALSO KNOWN AS CENTENNIALS
Colombo | 07 Jan 2021

2. GENY
MILLENNIALS
1981 - 1996 / 24 - 39 YEARS
GENX
1965 - 1980 / 40 - 55 YEARS
BABY
BOOMERS
1946 - 1965 / 56 - 74 YEARS

3. GEN Z
ALSO KNOWN AS CENTENNIALS AND ARE
THE NEWEST GENERATION TO BE NAMED.
BORN BETWEEN 1997 AND 2012/15, THEY
ARE CURRENTLY BETWEEN 8-23 YEARS
OLD.

4. MEMBERS OF GEN Z ARE MORE RACIALLY AND ETHNICALLY
DIVERSE THAN ANY PREVIOUS GENERATION, AND ARE ON
TRACK TO BE THE MOST WELL-EDUCATED GENERATION YET.
THEY ARE ALSO DIGITAL NATIVES WHO HAVE LITTLE OR NO
MEMORY OF THE WORLD AS IT EXISTED BEFORE SMARTPHONES.

5. 7 THINGS FROM THE ‘90S, ZERS
DON’T QUITE GET...
1. Listening to music on cassette players.
2. Drawing a picture on an Etch a Sketch,
the forerunner of creative drawing
tablets.
3. Making a pay phone call.
4. Transistor radios: Invented in 1947, it
was revolutionary for its time. Today
they are a rare sight.
5. Paper maps: With step-by-step
directions on Google Maps, paper maps
are a thing of the past.
6. Fax machines: the original email.
7. Typing a letter on a typewriter.
(Deloitte 2018)

6. GEN Z FIRSTS...
• The first generation to have never known a
world without the worldwide web.
• The first generation to have never used a
phone with a cord.
• The first generation that has no idea what
floppy disks are.
(Deloitte 2018)

7. Gen Z is Entrepreneurial
Even though they witnessed their
parents grapple with financial
challenges and felt the impact of the
worst economic meltdown since the
Great Depression, members of
Generation Z believe there is a lot of
money to be made in today’s economy.
Shows like “Shark Tank” have inspired
them to look favourably on
entrepreneurship, and they’ve also seen
how technology can be leveraged to
create exciting, and lucrative, business
opportunities with relatively low
overhead.
Fifty-eight percent of the members of
this generation want to own a business
one day and 14 percent already do.
(XYZ University)

8. Career Aspirations
Gen Z prefers to work in industries
with which they interact in their
personal lives, as opposed to
industries they aren’t frequent
consumers of.
Career Development
Gen Z desires diverse and stable
entrepreneurial opportunities and
will remain loyal to a company if they
can offer this.
Core Value
Gen Z will prioritize financial
security over “personal fulfillment”.
Core Value
Gen Z no longer forms opinions of a
company based solely on the quality
of their products/services, but on
their ethics, practices and social
impact as well.
Working Styles
Gen Z prefers individual tasks over
team-based activities, though
valuing physical connection.
Behavior & Character
Gen Z’s attachment to social media
will influence how they interact and
want to be perceived.
(Deloitte 2018)

9. Emotional simulation is the foundation for empathy and is particularly
powerful for social creatures like humans because it allows us to rapidly
forecast if people around us are angry or kind, dangerous or safe, friend or foe.
By knowing someone’s story—where they came from, what they do, and who
you might know in common—relationships with strangers are formed.
If Gen Z is using YouTube as a source of entertainment and trusting the brands
they see there, we need to become expert storytellers.
STORYTELLING
East West Marketing

10. The average 18-year-old observes about 10,000 marketing messages a day.
They’re tired of being talked at and sold to, so brand trust is low.
About six in ten consumers prefer spending money on experiences versus
material goods. This means opportunities for brands that offer value-driven
experiences to showcase their narrative while engaging with consumers.
Storyliving is modernized storytelling where a company enables consumers to
experience their brand narrative. Storytelling implies you are talking at someone;
it is not a conversation. In contrast, storyliving is the opportunity for brands to
start a dialogue with their community.
Gen Z demand authentic and unique experiences, it’s no longer enough to buy a
spot on TV or social and launch an engaging ad. By creating a conversation, one is
humanising the brand, enhancing trust and fostering a more meaningful
relationship. Storyliving goes beyond telling people why a brand does what it
does, the dialogue and consumer engagement is crucial.
STORYLIVING
Forbes

11. LOCAL INSIGHTS

12. Basic
Refers to someone who is unoriginal and only
follows mainstream trends.
Bruh
Gender-neutral term for a friend; can be used in
disgust or excitement.
Chill
The new way of saying cool. "He's not uptight;
he's pretty chill."
Cringy
Something that makes one cringe.
Fam
Used to describe those you consider
close friends.
Goals
A term used to describe what someone wants in
their life (i.e., "Couple goals, squad goals").
Gucci
Comes from the high-end fashion brand. Another way to say
"good," "chill," or "awesome."
Lit
When something is amazing or popping.
Low-Key
Used to describe one's thoughts, desires,
or feelings in a subtle way.
Same
Short for "same here.”
Slide Into Their DMs
A phrase used to signify that one wants to send a flirtatious
message over social media.
Squad
One's group of friends.
TBH
Stands for "To be honest," but has evolved into a term of
agreement. E.g.: "She's really rude." “TBH!"
MOST COMMONLY USED SLANG

13. Ado/ Machan/ Bokka/ Bro/ Bung - Basically
meaning "bro"
Sira? - Seriously?
Magulak Kathakaranawa - You're talking nonsense
Hena gahapan - May you be struck by lightning
Mala anayak/Mala karumayak/Mala wadayak
Mala waathayak - An expression of annoyance
Mala keliyai - O sh**!
Suppa/ Patta/ Maru - Super!
Shape - not good, not bad
Illang kanawa - Asking for it!
Ammataudu/ Ammatasiri - Surprise or Disbelief
Bunker Gahanawa - Hiding stuff
Vandiya - Vehicle
Kindy - Joke
Kade Yanawa - Campaigning for or helping
someone out
Ayyo salli/ Ayyo Saantha - What a Waste! (In
disbelief)
Huta! - O sh**!
Ela/ Thada - Super!
Gansiya/ Set eka/ Setar eka - gang or group
Cha/ Kicha/ Nondi - Ex: "U nam dan hena cha
bung" (it's embarrassing for us to be with him/ he
is 'chaarter' or not cool anymore)
MOST COMMONLY USED
SLANG in
Sinhala

14. A survey was conducted with 391 people between the ages of 16 - 23 around Sri Lanka,
of which 296 were more proficient in the Sinhalese language & 96 in the English Language.
The behavioural patterns of Sinhala & English respondents differed, hence the findings are shown separately.

15. Male to Female Responses
Sinhala English
66.7% Female
33.37% Male
60.1% Female
39.9% Male

16. Responses by District
Sinhala English
7.8%
6.4%
6.4%
4,1%
5,1%
7.1%
5.4% 4.1%
4.2%

17. PREFERRED MODE OF COMMUNICATION
Sinhala English
7.4%
3.2%
4.4%
5.4%

18. MOST USED SOCIAL PLATFORM
Sinhala English
5.3%
3.2%
3.2%
3%

19. SECOND MOST PREFERRED SOCIAL PLATFORM
Sinhala English
4.7%
4.2%
7.8%

20. PLATFORMS USED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
English
Sinhala
Instagram is the highest used
platform at least once a week in
the English language category,
followed by Facebook &
Snapchat
Facebook is the highest used
platform at least once a week in
the Sinhala language category,
followed by Instagram & Tiktok

21. FREQUENCY OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE
Sinhala English

22. PREFERRED METHOD OF CALLING
Sinhala English

23. MOST USED APP FOR MESSAGING
Sinhala English

24. OPINION OF TIKTOK CHALLENGES
English
Sinhala

25. TOP SOCIAL ISSUES THAT CONCERN GEN Z
English
Sinhala
Mental Health is the top social
issue that concerns Gen z’s in
the English language category,
followed by Gender Equality &
Global warming
Deforestation is the top social
issue that concerns Gen z’s in
the Sinhala language category,
followed by politics & Mental
health

26. TOPICS THAT INTEREST GEN Z THE MOST
English
Sinhala
Music & movies is the topicthat
interests Gen z’s in the English
language category,
followed by Travel & Self Care
Music & movies is the topic that
interests Gen z’s in the Sinhala
language category,
followed by Technology &
Higher education

27. WHEN ASKED, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR CAREER?
Sinhala English

28. WHEN ASKED, HAVE YOU STARTED SAVING MONEY FOR YOUR FUTURE?
Sinhala English

29. PREFERRED METHOD OF GETTING IN TOUCH WITH A BUSINESS
Sinhala English

30. PREFERENCE FOR LOOKING FOR INFORMATION OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ONLINE
Sinhala English

31. BIGGEST FRUSTRATION WHEN LOOKING FOR PRODUCTS & SERVICES ONLINE
Sinhala English

32. PREFERRED MODE OF PURCHASING PRODUCTS
Sinhala English

33. ONLINE SHOPPING PAYMENT PREFERENCE
Sinhala English

34. WHEN ASKED,
‘HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT COVID-19'S EFFECTS TOWARDS YOUR HEALTH?'
Sinhala English

35. WHEN ASKED,
‘HOW WORRIED ARE YOU ABOUT COVID-19'S EFFECTS TOWARDS SRI LANKA'S ECONOMY?’
Sinhala English

36. Use customised communication strategies including lingo adaptation that relate to Gen Z
Focus on addressing social & ethical issues through your brand values and communication
Look at insights and online content that are aspirational, entrepreneurial and goal oriented
Gen Z prefer experiential storytelling & storyliving so, brands need to lower their brand eco-gram (the loudness of brand
voice) and speak to the sentiment of the audience
Look at relevant digital media channels & formats of content as the primary mode to target Gen Z
Introduce a conversational commerce platform to help with customer service, cross-selling and up-selling initiatives to
drive higher conversions
Look at integrating social channels with your current customer service team for faster response times
Use Instagram as a primary mode of social communication for English Audiences and Facebook for Sinhala. Despite the
language differences, Instagram should be a vital component of your social media mix
Introduce a Tik Tok strategy into your social media mix
Optimise social media communication for whatsapp share-ability
Include all key information about products and services on your website, such as all features and pricing, to suit Gen Z’s
short attention span
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