Godrej Group

Gen X and Gen Z inclined towards altruism; Millennials more environment conscious: Little Things We Do Study

Godrej Group’s latest survey ‘Little Things We Do’ highlights how last year’s lockdown revealed how different age groups across the country coped with it in different ways

Mumbai; 02 July, 2021: Different age groups across India dealt with last year’s national lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic in their own unique ways, the Godrej Group’s ‘Little Things We Do’ study has found.

A majority of those in the Gen X grouping (59%), aged 45 and above, and the Gen Z (53%) grouping, aged 18-24, turned to altruism, distributing sanitizers, food packets, old clothes, blankets, or medical devices to those in need. 

A majority of millennials (54%) made environmentally-conscious actions their top priority. A dissection of the millennials age-group further revealed that younger millennials (25-34) were the most environmentally-conscious amongst all age-groups with 54.83% giving top-most priority to growing plants at home, being conscious of energy consumption and of the environmental impact of the products they purchased. 

The ‘Little Things We Do’ research was commissioned by the Godrej Group to highlight how little contributions and their subsequent impact often leaves a lasting mark on our lives.

Almost three out of five (59%) millennials took to a physical or mental fitness activity like yoga, zumba, walking or meditation to keep themselves healthy and happy. At the same time only a small percentage quit vices such as smoking, overspending, junk eating and drinking across all age groups 

Only 36% of respondents surveyed said they had quit unhealthy habits. Gen Z fared the worst on this count (34%) followed by Gen X (35%). Eating healthy home-made food due to lockdown restrictions warranted a behaviourial consensus amongst respondents falling in the Gen Z and younger millennials (74%) group in comparison to older millennials (75%) and Gen X (77%).

Sujit Patil, Vice President & Group Head - Corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej, described the research as an insight into the minds of different consumer age-groups in response to a challenging period. He said, “The current pandemic has taken a toll on the lifestyle and aspirations of Indians. People from different age groups, therefore, have started incorporating ‘little’ changes in their lives that can boost mental and physical wellbeing. While some of the age groups have shown great interest towards altruism, others have taken steps to safeguard their own health and wellbeing. 

He further added, “There is a scope improvement in the area of hand and product sanitization as only 86% of respondents said they are sanitizing their hands or things as a measure to stay healthy and happy. This does requires a concerted effort from all of us to raise the bar of personal hygiene further. ”

According to the study, confinement and other restrictions have also given time for entertainment and spending time with family: more than a quarter (27.35%) of respondents contented themselves by spending time with family and watching content (26.59%) and nearly a quarter (23.19%) preferred to spend time reading or listening to music. Almost one in every five started cooking as a form of positive therapy.

To stay positive and happy during lockdown, almost 33% of the Gen X-ers surveyed preferred to spend time with family, followed by watching OTT content and TV shows (21%) or listening to music or reading books (23%). In contrast, for other age-groups watching content on OTT platforms or listening to music was their go-to space for happiness. 

About Godrej 

Established in 1897, the Godrej Group has its roots in India's Independence and Swadeshi movement. Our founder, Ardeshir Godrej, lawyer-turned-serial entrepreneur failed with a few ventures, before he struck gold with a locks business. Today, we enjoy the patronage of 1.2 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and many other businesses. In fact, our geographical footprint extends beyond Earth, with our engines now powering many of India's space missions. With revenues of over USD 5 billion we are growing fast, and have exciting, ambitious aspirations. For us, it is most important that besides our strong financial performance and innovative, much-loved products, we remain a good company. About 23 per cent of the promoters’ holding in the Godrej Group is held in trusts that invest in the environment, health and education. We are also bringing together our passion and purpose to make a difference through our Good & Green strategy of 'shared value' to create a more inclusive and greener India. At the heart of all of this, are our people. We take much pride in fostering an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. We are deeply committed to recognizing and valuing diversity across our teams.