The meaning and purpose of life of the Generation Z were measured…
With the “Üsküdar Meaning and Purpose of Life Scale” (ÜSYAŞAM) developed by President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan and Faculty Member of the Communication Department Assoc. Prof Aylin Tutgun Ünal, the values of the Generation Z were examined. According to the results, life meaning and purpose perception scores of the Generation Z men were found to be significantly higher than women. On the other hand, the perception of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z, who are connected to social media less than 3 hours a day, was also found to be high.
The level of perception of meaning and purpose in life of the Generation Z was found to be 'moderate'
The research, which examines the meaning and purpose perceptions of the Generation Z, was carried out by Üsküdar University Social Sciences Institute Graduate Student Ender Kardelen Güler, Assoc. Prof. Aylin Tutgun Ünal and Prof. Nevzat Tarhan. In the research, the meaning and purpose of life of the Generation Z were measured with the ÜSYAŞAM Scale and a questionnaire including various questions.
A total of 149 Generation Z members, which consists of 90 (60.4%) female and 59 (39.6%) male, participated in the research. In the study carried out with the random sampling method, it was seen that 82.6% of the Generation Z were under the age of 18 and .4 of them were aged 18 and over. It was revealed that 83.2% of them had an education level of high school or below, and .8% of them continued their university education. In the research, 72.5% of the Generation Z's perception of meaning and purpose in life was found to be 'moderate', while 24.2% of them were 'high'; 4% of them were 'low'.
In the study, the values of the Generation Z were examined according to different characteristics.
The life meaning and purpose perception levels of the Generation Z were examined according to various characteristics. In the research, significant differences emerged according to gender, social media connection time, whether to use a filter before sharing photos on social media, the most frequently used social media application, the thought about marriage and family institution, and religious belief.
Those with less than 3 hours of attachment have a high perception of meaning and purpose in life.
As a result of the research, remarkable results were obtained about the Generation Z. As a result of the survey, the life meaning and purpose perception scores of the men of Generation Z were found to be significantly higher than the Generation Z women. Generation Z women, on the other hand, had low perceptions of meaning and purpose in life.
The perception of meaning and purpose of life was found to be high in the Generation Z, who are connected to social media for less than 3 hours a day; the perception of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z, who are connected to social media for more than 3 hours a day, was low.
While the perception of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z, who used filters before sharing photos on social media, was low, the perception of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z, who did not use filters before sharing photos on social media, was found to be higher.
Generation Z, who uses YouTube, has a high perception of life meaning and purpose; The perception of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z, who uses Instagram, was found to be low. It was stated that YouTube is a kind of life meaning and purpose for the Generation Z.
Generation Z had the highest rate of fulfilling religious requirements
According to the results of the survey, the highest rate in the understanding of religious belief and life of the Generation. While the option "I fulfill the requirements of my religion" with 106 points, the lowest level of perception of meaning and purpose in life was the option “I am not a believer” with 49 points.
According to the research outputs, it was revealed that value and behavioral gains such as family values, spirituality and face-to-face communication positively affect the perceptions of life meaning and purpose of the Generation Z.
What is the ÜSYAŞAM Scale?
Üsküdar Meaning and Purpose of Life Scale (ÜSYAŞAM) was developed by Prof. Tarhan and Assoc. Prof Aylin Tutgun Ünal in 2022. The scale, consisting of a total of 28 items in 7 sub-dimensions, was prepared in a 5-point Likert type.
The 1st ,2nd, 4th,26th items in the scale measure concrete meaning skills; the 5th, 6th, 7th items measure belief in death; the 8th, 9th, 10th, 17th items measure the ability to delay gratification; the 11th, 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23th, 28th items measure abstract meaning skills; the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th items measure internal control skills; the 16th ,18th, 27th items measure medium and long-term planning skills and the 21st, 24th, 25th, items measure the perception of ego ideal.
Items in the scale:
1. I dream of being rich.
2. I dream of being famous.
3. My biggest wish is to be healthy above all things.
4. Being a holder of authority is very important.
5. I do not care much about what kind of person I will be remembered as after I die.
6. It is important to me what will be written on my tombstone after my life ends.
7. I pay attention to the steps I take to leave a good story behind me.
8. I'd rather have a good day today than have trouble investing in the future.
9. When I encounter difficulties, I don't push myself too hard, I change the subject.
10. I avoid goals that I would have difficulty achieving.
11. The concepts of “Flag”, “Homeland”, “God” are of great importance to me.
12. I do not like to wait for bigger payoffs, immediate results are more important to me.
13. I cannot control my passion for shopping.
14. I fall in love easily.
15. When I get bored while studying or doing a task, I quit immediately.
16. I can continue to do things that I do not like, thinking that they will help me in the medium and long term.
17. I do not want to go into trouble to have more things financially.
18. I dream of being an explorer, inventor or Nobel Prize-winning scientist who benefits humanity.
19. My own needs take priority over national values for me.
20. My own needs take precedence over religious matters for me.
21. Being successful in a subject that I work hard for is more important than human relations.
22. I believe in the saying “the one who loves their country the most is the one who does their duty best”.
23. I prefer not to think about death and the afterlife.
24. I prefer to be liked and admired, rather than being useful to society.
25. If the goal is to be more successful and happy, neglecting my family would not bother me too much.
26. I care a lot when others speak highly of me.
27. I like to take some risks and do new and different things.
28. My own happiness and desires are more important than many other issues.
Please click the link below to examine the Üsküdar Meaning and Purpose of Life Scale and the Research on Values of Generation Z in detail:
BAYTEREK | Journal of International Academic Research
Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)