Willingness of Gen Z Members to Give up Comfort in the Field of Sustainability, Waste Sorting, Electromobility: A Representative Study in Czechia

A frequently discussed topic nowadays, especially in business, marketing or human resources, is the generation gap. Young people have a relatively strong environmental sense, which is also reflected in their choice of employment. When formulating the hypotheses, we proceeded from theories of social capital. Gen Z, which has grown up and matured in a fully digital world, attracts a lot of attention. This is evidenced by the many expert studies on the subject. One important reason for studying the behaviour and attitudes of Gen Z is their significant purchasing power. These people are on the rise or approaching the peak of their professional careers. In this paper, we focus on the topic of sustainability, attitudes towards waste management and electric vehicles. The paper aims to contribute especially to the analysis of the relationship between the declared benefits of the researched topics and the willingness to give up one's comfort to fulfil them. The analysis is based on primary data collected in 2023. The analysis conclusively confirms that the topic of sustainability is important for the young generation. Representatives of Gen Z exhibit a high level of critical thinking in the area of waste sorting and, in particular, the environmental benefits of electric vehicles. They are interested in real environmental benefits. The willingness to give up one's comfort is lower than the declared benefits of the phenomenon. Implications for Central European audience: This paper addresses the topic of sustainability through the eyes of the young generation, specifically members of Gen Z. This is a topic of great importance for the European economy. The economic sector is forced to respect both EU regulations and the market environment, which, as our research shows, is not always in line with these regulatory interventions. Our research reflects the opinions of the young population in Czechia. Scholars can use the results for follow-up research studies, and so can practitioners in the field of marketing, strategic business orientation or human resources, especially when setting up communication with the young generation.