Gen Z Isn’t Selfish; They’re Just Trying to Survive
It’s not a lack of generosity that keeps young people from volunteering—it’s a lack of stability. To engage younger generations, nonprofits must adapt to the economic and technological realities that shape their lives.
Written by: Lexi Oybkhan’ 25, English Major at the University of Delaware
A recent op-ed from the Quinnipiac Chronicle blames selfishness for the decline in youth volunteerism. In it, Lillian Curtin writes, “Generations today are more entitled than they used to be.” This kind of generational judgement isn’t new. In fact, as a Gen Zer myself, I have heard it time and time again: we’re lazy, self-absorbed, and loath to do anything for anyone but ourselves.
But the issue isn’t entitlement—it’s economics.
A 2024 study conducted by the University of Georgia found that the economy plays a critical role in volunteer engagement: “In poor economic conditions, people might take energy away from their voluntary activities to put it into more income-producing activities that create a greater sense of personal stability” (Nesbit qtd. in Hataway). America is currently in the midst of these conditions, and young people are feeling it.
As the cost of living skyrockets, young adults are living at home with their parents or have three to four (or, like someone I know—seven) roommates. Even then, many still struggle to make ends meet as they battle student loan debt, inflation, low wages, and a frozen job market. As a result, young adults are left with no choice but to spend their extra time working to cover expenses, rather than volunteering for free. It’s so dire that we must even turn our hobbies into side hustles, because time is only valuable if it's profitable.
It’s this money-centric view that society demands, that makes volunteering so far removed from what we’ve been conditioned to care about—what we’ve had to care about to survive. To insist that it is a lack of altruism in young people that keeps them away from volunteering would be missing the bigger, uglier picture. We’re facing economic realities that force a painful question: how can we give to others what we can barely give to ourselves?
And yet, despite these harsh realities, young people still find ways to show up for one another. Just not always in the ways that nonprofits are used to. That’s why it's time for nonprofits to reimagine what volunteerism looks like today.
Volunteering remains vital—not because it's practical, but because it's visionary. It promotes a way of life sustained by community, not profit. It shows us that there are resources that can be more valuable and vital than money. I believe my generation deeply understands this, not in spite of our unstable circumstances, but because of them. We’re ready to show up, it’s just a matter of nonprofits meeting us where we are.
We can’t make sizable donations because we’re struggling to make rent. We can’t dedicate full days to service because we’re picking up extra shifts just to get by. But that doesn’t mean we’re disengaged. Younger generations are leading the charge in new forms of giving every day: amplifying fundraisers on social media, signing petitions, organizing mutual aid efforts, and spreading awareness through TikToks and Instagram stories. These actions may not always look like traditional service, but they’re grounded in the same spirit of community care.
Nonprofits must embrace the unconventional, but innovative, volunteerism of newer generations. That might mean creating more flexible, short-term engagement opportunities that can be done virtually or on nights and weekends. It could mean providing volunteers with vouchers for food or transportation to ease financial burdens. It might also mean validating the digital activism that young people engage in, and treating social media as a tool, not an obstacle.
Nonprofits must also involve young people in conversations about change. We have the passion and the vision to create it, we simply need the resources and trust to do so.
It’s easy to call younger generations selfish when you’re not in their spaces, witnessing their impact. But if you were, I think you’d see that they embody the generosity and empathy that the world needs more of.
Prioritizing ourselves is not selfishness—it’s self-preservation. And that's the first step in having the strength to show up for others.
Works Cited
Curtin, Lillian. “Why Are Young People Volunteering Less?” The Quinnipiac Chronicle, 8 Nov. 2023, quchronicle.com/84262/featured/young-people-volunteering-less/.
DeSilver, Drew. “Prices Are up in All U.S. Metro Areas, but Some Much More than Others.” Pew Research Center, 7 Oct. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/10/07/prices-are-up-in-all-us-metro-areas-but-some-much-more-than-others/.
Hataway, Leigh. “People Aren’t Volunteering as Much. What Gives?” UGA Today, 17 Sept. 2024, news.uga.edu/people-arent-volunteering-as-much/.
Karma, Rogé. “The Job Market Is Frozen.” The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2025, www.theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/02/jobs-unemployment-big-freeze/681831/.
