Gen Z feels guilty about how much they spend on holiday

As the August holidays approach, the same question lingers in the air as it does every year during this period: “Where will you go on vacation this summer?” While on TikTok new trends and aesthetics are being created based on where people will relax, from the Italian Tomato Girl Summer to the English Brat Summer, passing through the Brazil Core, the Gen Z finds themselves facing a decision that will change the course of their beautiful season. Save money and stay home or enjoy the holidays? Some can still rely on the financial support of their parents to cover the costs of flights, dinners, and accommodations, while others will face that sense of anguish and irritation that evokes spending large sums for small satisfactions. According to a new study by Cash App, an American mobile payment service, the new generations still feel guilty about last summer's expenses, and are afraid of repeating the same "mistakes" this year. Assuming that taking a moment to relax can be considered a misstep.

The Gen Z Money Manners Report 2024 by Cash App surveyed a thousand Americans aged sixteen to twenty-six to study the behavior and general attitude of young people towards money. 53% of the survey participants stated that last summer they spent beyond their financial means and 79% stated that they regretted their spending. Above all, the activity that seems to have required the most money appears to have been dinners, considered too expensive by 42% of respondents. Moreover, Cash App's report highlights a critical aspect of the problem's influence on friendships: of the thousand surveyed subjects, 73% said they had at least one negative experience related to splitting the bill with friends, 42% reported having even argued over the issue, while 80% said they were stressed by the idea of going on vacation with friends for this very reason. For 43% of respondents, it is not fair to split the bill equally because some people might have consumed more than others.