{"id":10786,"date":"2025-10-29T11:32:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T03:32:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=10786"},"modified":"2025-10-29T11:32:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T03:32:52","slug":"millennials-and-gen-zs-prioritize-health-purpose-financial-independence-but-health-and-wellness-gaps-persist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/millennials-and-gen-zs-prioritize-health-purpose-financial-independence-but-health-and-wellness-gaps-persist\/","title":{"rendered":"Millennials and Gen Zs prioritize health, purpose, financial independence, but health and wellness gaps persist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>While millennials and Gen Zs in the Philippines are reshaping what it means to live well and live long, significant gaps between awareness and action jeopardize their health, wellness, and longevity aspirations, a new study by Manulife Philippines has found.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to \u201c#FYP: Future-proofing Young Pinoys: Examining Health and Longevity Perspectives, Sentiments, and Aspirations of Millennials and Gen Zs,\u201d which was conducted among 500 respondents across the Philippines, younger Filipinos are placing greater emphasis on healthspan, purpose, and financial independence. However, the study also revealed that while 83% of young respondents have good knowledge about health and wellness, only 76% say they are taking sufficient action to consistently practice healthy habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWith a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldeconomics.com\/Demographics\/Median-Age\/Philippines.aspx\"> median age of 26.1<\/a>, the Philippines has one of the youngest populations in Asia. Our latest study highlights the need to support younger generations in translating their health, wellness, and longevity aspirations into meaningful action. We found that millennials and Gen Zs are motivated to live healthier lives, but barriers like stress, excessive screen time, and sleep deprivation, among many others are holding them back from achieving this goal,\u201d said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Motivated to be healthy, but stress gets in the way; Millennial women among the most affected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The study found that millennials and Gen Zs are not short of motivation to pursue their health and wellness goals. While 64% said they are pursuing health to avoid getting sick, and 44% said they want to minimize potential medical expenses, many are equally driven by their personal well-being and self-image about feeling and looking good: 44% said they want to look good or fit, and 43% said they want to look youthful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Younger Filipinos, especially women, are also putting more focus on healthspan, or the number of the years we live healthily, over lifespan. According to the survey, 60% of female respondents prefer to prolong their healthspans, while 53% of males prefer to prolong their lifespans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Filipino millennials and Gen Zs face notable health and wellness gaps, from monitoring to their actual wellness behaviors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Young Filipinos show significant gaps in health monitoring (awareness vs what they actually monitor), particularly in mobility (24%), nutrition (23%), and cholesterol levels (20%). Gender differences are evident, with young women struggling more with nutritional monitoring (27%) and young men facing greater challenges in mobility monitoring (28%).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Many young Filipinos find it difficult to consistently maintain healthy sleeping habits (20%), achieve work-life balance (19%), and follow a balanced diet (15%). Women report a larger gap in achieving work-life balance at 22%, compared to the 15% gap among men.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stress is the most prominent barrier to wellness, affecting 64% of respondents. Millennials report higher stress levels than Gen Zs (69% vs. 58%), and women are more affected than men (73% vs. 55%). Notably, 76% of millennial women say stress prevents them from pursuing their desired wellbeing\u2014the highest among all generational and gender groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Modern lifestyle habits further compound these issues, with excessive screen time impacting 48% and sleep deprivation affecting 45% of young Filipinos. Trends such as \u201cbedrotting\u201d and \u201cdoomscrolling\u201d reflect how contemporary behaviors are undermining their wellness goals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeing that for young Filipinos, intent alone isn\u2019t sufficient. While many are motivated to pursue healthier lives, they\u2019re facing a complex mix of stressors and lifestyle gaps, which make it difficult to follow through. These habits quietly derail their ability to prioritize wellness. That\u2019s why the next step is to find ways to embed wellness into their daily routine. By offering health and wellness-focused programs and collaborations with likeminded partners, we are helping them bridge the gap between intention and action, turning wellness goals into sustainable, everyday behaviors supporting their long-term health and longevity aspirations,\u201d added Hora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Younger Filipinos view age positively and prioritize attaining purpose and living independently than being illness-free<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the study, 96% of millennials and Gen Zs surveyed believe aging is a natural process that should be embraced with positivity, while 91% of the respondents believe that living a meaningful life is more important than living a long one. The study revealed a striking perspective on aging priorities, with 83% of respondents believing that living independently and being able to do things that matter most to them is more important than being illness-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Millennials surveyed focus more on physical health and family relationships as they age. Gen Zs, on the other hand, lean toward self-discovery, purpose, and making an impact. Only 13% of both generations consider maximizing lifespan as a top priority, with men showing slightly higher interest (17%) compared to women (8%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe findings reveal that young Filipinos see aging not as decline, but as a chance to live with purpose and independence,\u201d Hora said. \u201cIt is therefore crucial that we create opportunities and support systems for them to live better at every stage of their lives. This means investing in holistic wellness programs, accessible financial health education, as well as tools that address both physical and mental needs, tailored especially for younger generations navigating various stressors of the modern world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs one of the country\u2019s longest-serving insurers, Manulife Philippines is deeply committed to supporting younger generations of Filipinos in their journey toward financial independence and longevity. Through our innovative insurance and investment solutions, and our nationwide network of over 10,000 professional financial advisors, we aim to empower millennials and Gen Zs to live fuller, healthier lives with purpose and confidence as they age,\u201d said Hora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Financial independence: Younger Filipinos\u2019 ultimate longevity concern<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to living a longer life but also \u201cadding life to years,\u201d financial security tops the list of concerns for both generations. Among the respondents, 74% believe that longevity is a blessing only if they have sufficient financial resources, with running out of money being their greatest worry (61%). Millennials and Gen Zs agree that mental health is a top longevity concern (36% and 47%, respectively). Millennials surveyed are more concerned about keeping ties with children (37%), while Gen Zs are more concerned about living their desired lifestyle (39%).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gaining financial independence is also a top longevity priority for young Filipinos (52%), followed by family relationships (36%) and physical health (33%). Women, however, prioritize financial independence significantly more than men (60% vs. 44%). This gender gap reflects broader structural realities women face in the Philippines. Despite having <a href=\"https:\/\/data.who.int\/countries\/608\">longer life expectancies<\/a> (69.9 vs 63.4), <a href=\"https:\/\/psa.gov.ph\/statistics\/labor-force-survey\/node\/1684061252\">women have lower labor force participation<\/a> (52.9% vs 76.3%) and are prone to career interruptions due to family and caregiving responsibilities. These factors make financial independence especially urgent for women, who must plan for longer retirement years with potentially fewer financial opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Financial planning remains one of the many challenges the youth face. Gen Zs surveyed estimate needing PHP22.3 million to achieve financial independence upon retirement, while millennials estimate PHP18.4 million. Yet only 20% of respondents have very high confidence in achieving these goals. Despite the challenges, young Filipinos take proactive steps. Among those who prioritize financial independence, 65% save part of their income, 45% purchase insurance, and 43% actively broaden their financial knowledge. However, 68% admit that sustaining investments remains difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s encouraging to see today\u2019s younger generations starting to take more proactive steps toward financial planning. We\u2019re seeing a shift in mindset, where millennials and Gen Zs are actively saving, purchasing insurance, and expanding their financial literacy. These are promising signs,\u201d said Aira Gaspar, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Investments Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe key now is to help them bridge the gap between intention and sustained action, through accessible, flexible investment strategies that evolve with their life stages, financial capabilities, and aspirations. By enabling them with the right tools and guidance, we can help turn financial independence into a tangible, achievable reality for our younger customers in the Philippines,\u201d added Gaspar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Younger Filipinos are placing greater emphasis on healthspan, purpose, and financial independence. However, the study also revealed that while 83% of young respondents have good knowledge about health and wellness, only 76% say they are taking sufficient action to consistently practice healthy habits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[19,2360,650,20,2053],"class_list":["post-10786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsmakers","tag-health","tag-manulife-philippines","tag-nutrition","tag-wellness","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10786"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10788,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10786\/revisions\/10788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}