What Generation Z Wants to Watch on Netflix? New Research Surprises Filmmakers

The "Teens & Screens" report just published by the University of California reveals some interesting conclusions about Generation Z viewers, those born after 1995. According to their responses, there is a high demand for animated productions, and they are turned off by the excess sex in TV series and films.

1,500 Generation Z Americans were surveyed about their media preferences and consumption patterns. Respondents were selected to reflect the nation's racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, economic, and geographic diversity. Several trends emerge from the report, prepared by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Generation Z prefers animated productions. Among those who have reached adulthood, interest in this type of production has increased by almost 7 percent compared to last year. Nearly 48 percent of respondents aged 19 to 24 prefer animation to live-action productions.

"Zetki" most want to watch productions about "people like themselves." They prefer them over broadly defined fantasy productions. Ideally, films and series should depict friendship, as that's what "Zetki" most enjoy watching. It's also good if the stories are between people of different sexes who aren't interested in a romantic relationship. Consequently, 60.9% of respondents believe that even when it comes to romantic relationships, they still prefer the friendship aspect over the sexual aspect. 48.4% believe there's too much sex in films and series, and the most off-putting themes are toxic relationships and love triangles.

The top five places among the most frequently watched films and series by "Zetki" were taken by:

1. "Stranger Things",
2. "Wednesday",
3. "SpongeBob SquarePants",
4. "Spider-Man"
5. "Head of the family."