Millennials And Gen Z Redefine ‘Asking For Help’ – Especially With Money

Millennials And Gen Z Redefine ‘Asking For Help’ – Especially With Money

“Help” isn’t a dirty word: a new study has found younger generations are less likely to think that asking for help is a bad thing.

The poll of 2,000 U.S. adults, split evenly between Gen Z, millennial, Gen X and baby boomer generations found the two younger generations saw asking for help as a positive thing (71% for millennials, 66% for Gen Zers) more than Gen Xers and baby boomers (54% and 45%, respectively).

Likewise, both a majority of Gen Zers (57%) and millennials (60%) believe they’re better about asking for help or support when it’s needed than their predecessors.

If they were actually put in a challenging position where they had to decide to ask for help or manage it on their own, a quarter of all Americans (26%) said they’d prefer asking for help.

Commissioned by Upstart and conducted by Talker Research, the research found 67% of Americans — regardless of generation — believe society should destigmatize asking for help or support, whether financial or otherwise.

According to one respondent, “It’s okay to need something to lean on. It doesn’t emasculate a man and it doesn’t make a woman look like a damsel in distress.”

“I think for that to happen, we need to emphasize community more,” said another. “Society is very ‘individualist’ as of now, but there are ways to improve community.”

Although the perception of support is changing, 53% of Americans still admit they don’t like asking for help or support out of fear of being judged. Surprisingly, while Gen Z are more likely to ask for support, they’re also the most likely to feel a fear of being judged for doing so (64%).

When they need support, people are most likely to turn to their friends (39%), partner (36%), mom (24%) or extended family members (23%).

“It’s natural for people to feel this internal struggle when it comes to asking for help,” opined Erin Opperman, a VP at Upstart. “But no one should feel like they’re being judged simply because they could use a little extra support.

“Having systems in place to help people progress is how we grow together as a society.”

MORE POLLS:
• The Lengths Parents Will Go to Make Holidays Memorable For Their Kids
• Almost a Third of Americans Think They’ve Financially ‘Made it’ in Life

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