People who are part of Generation Z are the most likely age group to be influenced by the things they see on the internet, despite being the first generation to grow up entirely online.

According to an Adobe survey of 1,200 UK consumers distributed evenly across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers, 43 per cent of people think that Gen Z are most likely to be influenced online, compared to just 17 per cent for Baby Boomers. Amongst Gen Z alone, 41 per cent agree they are the generation most likely to be influenced online.

Although Gen Z may be most susceptible to online influence, they are also more sophisticated online than other generations. 33 per cent of the age group take an active role in configuring data preferences on social networks, compared with 29 per cent across the other age groups. Furthermore, 69 per cent of them are willing to share data with brands versus 52 per cent of Baby Boomers. Despite this willingness to share data, 21 per cent of Gen Zers restrict the data they share with brands that don’t deliver on the experiences expected.

“As ‘Digital Natives’, Gen Z have developed relationships with brands from a very early age, meaning they’re much more familiar with data/experience value exchange,” said Gavin Mee, vice president of Northern Europe at Adobe. “But companies can’t take these relationships for granted – if a brand falls short of their high expectations, this data-savvy age group has no problem exercising choices and moving to a competitor that can deliver a personalised, relevant experience. Across all generations, and especially with older age groups, brands need to build trust by being open about how they use data, and clear about the added value it enables them to deliver.”

The research also found that 52 per cent of Gen Zers frequently engage with companies that place ads online, compared to 30 per cent cross other age groups. Moreover, they are most trusting with 28 per cent believing brands will ‘do the right thing’ with their data versus just 17 per cent of Baby Boomers.

Gen Z also value exclusive experiences the most, with 28 per cent willing to exchange their data to get one. On the other hand, Baby Boomers are most likely (73 per cent) to swap their data for a discount or special offer, while Gen Z are the least likely (47 per cent).