SA Youth Are Adapting, Not Giving Up

There is a familiar but often light-hearted tension between Gen Z and older generations in South Africa. The term ama-2000s, often used to describe today’s youth, reflects more than differences in language, behaviour or culture. It signals a broader shift in values, priorities and ways of navigating everyday life.

Yet while the lifestyles and financial behaviours of today’s youth may look different, the second edition of Standard Bank’s Youth Barometer shows that their ambitions remain remarkably similar to previous generations. Young South Africans still aspire to financial independence, homeownership, career success, and long-term security.

Developed in partnership with Youth Dynamix (YDX) and Liberty, the 2026 Youth Barometer reveals that South African youth are engaging with credit, savings, investments and long-term financial planning earlier and more intentionally than they are often given credit for. They are still pursuing many of the milestones traditionally associated with independence. They are buying homes despite affordability pressures, using credit strategically to build financial credibility, engaging with savings, investment and insurance products earlier than many assume. They make practical, value-driven decisions when buying cars, consequently reshaping the automotive market through the rise of Chinese brands.

What makes these findings even more significant is the reality young people are navigating today. Young South Africans are coming of age in an economy where a tertiary qualification no longer guarantees a professional job and where the path to financial stability is far less predictable than it was for previous generations.

“Today’s youth are pursuing these goals in a world where the path to stability has become far more complex, expensive and uncertain. Instead of being deterred by this economic uncertainty, rising living costs and delayed life milestones, they are adapting their financial behaviours to navigate these realities,” says Tshiamo Molanda, Head of Personal Banking South Africa at Standard Bank.

Drawing on insights from the spending, saving and borrowing habits of Standard Bank and Liberty customers under 35, the report reveals a generation balancing ambition with financial reality.

Yet adaptation should not be mistaken for lowered ambition. While affordability and value increasingly influence financial decisions, young consumers continue to pursue many of the same goals as previous generations. The difference is that they are finding new, more practical and often more innovative ways to achieve them.

“For me, the most compelling finding is not simply what young people are doing with their money, but what their choices reveal about how they navigate adulthood in a rapidly changing world,” says Youth Dynamix Director, Andrea Kraushaar.

Standard Bank partnered with Youth Dynamix to ensure that 2026 edition was more than a financial report by adding a customer voice explaining why young people treat money the way they do.

“It was important to bring in the broader context into the research as young people are too often viewed through stereotypes or outdated benchmarks,” says Molanda. “What this report shows is that South Africa’s youth have not lowered their ambitions. They are adapting to a new reality where the path to independence, stability and opportunity is more complex.”

Zandile Makhoba, Research & Insights Lead at Liberty, says this socio-economic context has produced a generation that is often making surprisingly mature financial decisions from an early age because they don’t take financial security for granted. They are coming of age in a world where income is less predictable as careers are increasingly non-linear. “The finding that young South Africans are thinking about their financial futures much earlier than many people assume points to a generation that is actively building financial resilience,” says Makhoba.

New Emerging Themes from the Report

• A deeper look at youth lending habits: Building on last year’s credit card-only analysis, this edition provides a comprehensive view of youth borrowing behaviour across the full personal lending landscape. The report analyses uptake and usage of credit cards, revolving facilities and term loans, revealing how young people use these different products.
• Credit cards versus other lending products: Emergencies and unexpected expenses remain the primary borrowing drivers for other personal lending products. However, credit cards are largely used to manage cash flow and fund everyday spending as under-35s cycle a significant share of their income through their cards for daily purchases and then promptly settle balances to maximise rewards and benefits.
• Debt consolidation: It becomes more prominent around ages 30–35-year to optimise finances, using personal loans to consolidate higher-cost debt into a single repayment and improve cash flow as they take on greater financial responsibilities.
• Overlooked reasons for borrowing: Home improvements and funding side hustles are more common reasons for borrowing than often recorded.
• Aspirations and ownership trends: The report explores asset ownership preferences but emphasises the growing importance of access over ownership.
• Car buying dynamics: The growing presence of Asian automakers, particularly Chinese brands, is making new vehicles more accessible and affordable, reshaping the balance between new and pre-owned vehicle purchases, driving brand-level shifts, and accelerating growth in entry-level market segments.

Emerging payment behaviours: Insights from virtual card usage and tap-to-pay shows that young consumers are moving away from physical cards. Digital wallets and tap-to-pay have become their default payment method.