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Generation Z's open attitude, broad horizons point way to brighter future

By WU DI | CHINA DAILY | Updated: 2023-01-10 08:08
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Words chosen by a group of young people in China and elsewhere in the world to best describe the past year are not as strange or depressing as those picked by the publishers of leading dictionaries.

As in previous years, publishers such as Oxford University Press, Merriam-Webster and Collins selected words to sum up the past 12 months. For last year, their choices included "Goblin mode" "gaslighting" and "permacrisis".

"Goblin mode" is a slang term for behavior that intentionally and shamelessly indulges in habits and activities without regard to social norms or expectations, "gaslighting "refers to manipulating someone psychologically into doubting their sanity, while "permacrisis" is an extended period of instability and insecurity.

To discover how a group of young people best summed up the past year, China Daily's Generation Z Research Center surveyed 132 respondents from 24 countries and regions, including China, Afghanistan, Egypt, France, India, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The respondents were asked to share their keywords for last year, regarding themselves, their home countries and the world. They were also asked for their expectations for 2023.

Words chosen by the group to encapsulate the past year covered a wide range, with some noticeable surprises.

More than half these words were positive. "Endeavors" was the most popular, being mentioned nine times, followed by "good" and "perplexity".Other popular choices included "challenges", "vigor", "growth" and "enrichment".

Among Chinese members of Generation Z, the top three keywords used to sum up their personal lives were "endeavors", "perplexity" and "vigor", while for overseas members the choices were "good", "challenges "and "endeavors".

Some 60 percent of the words used by respondents to describe their home country last year were positive, with examples including "development", "great" and "hope". However, the survey found that members of the group also chose negative terms such as "stagnant" and "chaotic", while 26 interviewees opted for neutral words such as "epidemic" and "challenges".

The most popular choice was "prosperity", which was listed seven times.

The survey also found that fewer than 30 percent of the keywords used to describe the world last year were positive.

The most popular word used in this category was "chaos", which was mentioned 14 times, followed by two words the opposite of one another-"happiness" and "awful". Other choices included "volatile", "tough", "split "and "rejuvenation".

Most members of the group were positive about the future, the survey found. A total of 70.5 percent of the interviewees believed that compared with last year, the next 12 months would be better, while 29.5 percent were uncertain or thought that this year might be worse than last.

The keywords used by the group demonstrated its diversity, inclusiveness, critical thinking and care for the world, giving reason to believe that with such an open attitude and broad horizons, Generation Z is ready to usher in a bright future.

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