Live Nation’s Gen Z survey reveals sociocultural ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ for 2025

From being “country music curious” to part of a run club, the “poptimistic” Generation Z have spoken, diving deep into the cultural and social trends shaping 2025.

Zoomers — also known as Generation Z — say tradwives, bed rotting, skinny jeans, Botox, Ozempic and being demure are off-trend in 2025.

A survey based on information from 1217 Gen Z ­respondents in Australia and New Zealand will be released by concert giant Live Nation in Melbourne on Friday.

Its overview, titled Love Song, is one of the biggest quantitative studies of Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – and dives deep into the cultural and social trends shaping 2025.

Tradwife — a combination of “traditional” and “wife” — is a woman who believes in traditional gender roles and marriages.

Bed rotting is a social media phrase describing someone who stays in the sack all day to doom scroll online or binge watch television.

Bed rotting is out, according to Gen Z. Picture: Crispin La Valiente

Conversely, the survey’s Gen Z list of things in vogue, is noticeably extroverted, active and, to coin a now-word, poptimistic.

In 2025, Zoomers love “dressing to slay” at music events, dating in real life (not on apps), vinyl and vintage tech, Yo-Chi on Saturday nights, run clubs and being country music curious.

Erica Valenti, of Live Nation, says the survey findings show a “real element of poptimism and positivity rising up amid all of the challenges.

She added: “Gen Z really wants to get out into the world. The notion of Gen Z being chronically online, and never wanting to do anything is untrue.

“Gen Z wants to carefully curate their outfits to go to a music event, they want to date in real life, they want to line up for Yo-Chi, they want to be part of run clubs. All of this speaks to tangible real life experiences.”

Vinyl records and vintage technology, such as digital cameras are in. Picture: Supplied

“People like to sh-t on (Gen Z), but we’re capable, resilient and well-equipped,” the Live Nation survey found.

Significantly, 63 per cent of those surveyed said the “idea of a traditional life path doesn’t exist anymore.”

And while the old ways seem like unattainable, Gen Z still harbour feelings for their own Y2K-era favourites.

“For Gen Z, nostalgia isn’t just aesthetic, it’s emotional support,” the survey found.

Twenty seven per cent of respondents said nostalgia is about “comfort,” while 20 per cent said it related to “connection.”

With music being core to Gen Z, 20 out of the top 50 top tracks on TikTok last year were from back catalogues — reinforcing their nostalgia.

Originally published as Live Nation’s Gen Z survey reveals sociocultural ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ for 2025