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Trends by age

  • Gen Z want goosebumps: When compared to other generations, Gen Z indicated the strongest need for engaging brands (65% Gen Z agreed to "I want to live in a world where brands think giving customers goosebumps is important."), followed by the Millennials (64%) and Gen X (53%).1 

  • Younger generations are used to interactive media: Engagement with video games is increasing by generation. For example, Gen Alpha spend 22% of leisure time per week gaming, followed by Gen Z with 19% and Millennials with 18%.1 The most recent Ofcom report highlights that 61% (3.5m) UK 8 to 14-year-olds play Roblox.2  

  • Gen Z are also concerned about technology: There also appears to be a raising concern about the impact of technology, recognised by younger generations. For example, 59% Gen Z were concerned about echo chambers created by algorithms.1

  • Young adults as the main audience for immersive experiences: In the Immersive Experience Network's 2024 audience report, young adults (aged 16 to 34) accounted for 50% immersive audiences, while those aged 45 and overrepresented only 25%.3 (NB we consider the umbrella term* immersive* to include multisensory experiences). 

  • Immersive audiences are much younger than traditional theatre audiences: The majority of recent West End attendees were 45 years and over, according to a Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre survey conducted in 2024 and 2025.4 

  • Immersive audiences are similar to cinema-going audiences: For example, young adults (aged 16 to 34) accounted for 37% cinemagoers in 2020, rising to 42% in 2022.5

  • Gen Alpha crave unique sensory-enhanced live experiences: A recent US-based report (2025) on the youngest generation of movie theatre-goers, Gen Alpha (aged 12 and under in 2025), suggests a preference for live, distinctive entertainment experiences, making them more inclined to in-person viewing than streaming, even when compared with Millennials. Note that they want experiences not easily replicated at home, including large-format screenings, 3D, Virtual Reality (VR) and multisensory formats. Examples highlighted include wind, lights and seat movement.6

  • Younger generations are more likely to prioritise communal experiences than Millennials or Gen X: US-based data indicate that spending time with friends and family was the most commonly reported reason for cinema attendance among Gen Alpha and Gen Z, whereas this was not the leading factor for Millennials and Gen X.6