The revolution of the economy according to the Next Generation: from work to digital purchases, to insurance

The future, although seemingly distant, is already at the gates. Changes that affect all aspects of life, in fact, occur day after day, modifying our daily lives. What will the world be like in 2030 according to the new generations? BNP Paribas Cardif, one of the top ten insurance companies in Italy[1], has tried to get a picture of what will happen by commissioning the research 'Next Gen 2030' to the Eumetra MR Institute.

Mille ragazzi tra i 15 e i 30 anni si sono così prestati, portando il loro punto di vista su questioni importantissime come società, ambiente, scuola, università, lavoro, economia e servizi assicurativi, mettendo in luce i cambiamenti di cui avvertono la necessità e delineando un futuro sempre più smart e tecnologico.

Lavoro: assistenti vocali, orari ridotti e più smartworking

Una tendenza che in futuro crescerà ulteriormente, grazie anche ad un utilizzo sempre più consapevole della tecnologia. Ben il 52% degli intervistati, infatti, immagina che lo smartworking sarà il cambiamento principale entro il 2030 con una modalità d’alternanza con la presenza in ufficio. Per il 34% saràò addirittura predominante, con un lavoro in presenza solo quando strettamente necessario.

Sul banco delle ipotesi per il 44% dei giovani, anche una riduzione degli orari lavorativi: massimo 5 ore obbligatorie al giorno, con l’eventualità di una parte flessibile. A large part of the interviewees (23%), moreover, does not exclude a working week composed of only 3-4 days, which, however, does not penalize the salary.

In short, the one envisaged by the young people is clearly a more dynamic working world. To support this vision there will be technologies, of which the sample taken into analysis foresees a development that will benefit workers: increasingly intelligent PCs, voice assistants, monitoring systems for health and well-being and a productivity control system based on artificial intelligence and new algorithms.

Payments and purchases: cashless and digital

For the  young people who took part in the research 'Next Gen 2030', even purchases will be completely revolutionized, developing an economy that will be increasingly cashless. In fact, more than half of those surveyed imagined a 2030 in which almost all transactions will take place without the use of cash. For about 48%, moreover, all payments will be able to be made quickly through the support of wearable devices, digital watches and, of course, smartphones.

Online shopping will have more and more space, becoming predominant: more than 40% of young people surveyed, in fact, are sure that in the not too distant future they will shop exclusively on the web. The physical experience, however, is still not entirely disdained, but even in this case it is reviewed with a 'removal of all elements that cause boredom or waste of time. In reference to this context, Donatella Maisto, collaborator of QuiFinanza adds: "If it is positive that young people feel the need for change and see the future as smart and technological, it is necessary that this sensitivity is constantly accompanied by the courage to go in depth, to anticipate trends, to participate instead of closing themselves off, learning to make incisive decisions. It is necessary that they be provided with useful tools to not "suffer" the future, but to act consciously, to guide it, modify it, live it, bridging the most diverse gaps: of opportunity, of gender, of skills, of infrastructure. Only access to knowledge generates other knowledge."

Conclusion: focus on the advantages of having insurance in the eyes of a young person

Flexibility is, therefore, one of the watchwords of 2030. If smartworking will predominate in the workplace, alternating with presence in the office and even reducing working hours or days, online shopping will play an even more important role, while the use of cash will be drastically reduced in favour of an increasingly cashless economy. Technology will play an important role in this, as it will support all of these changes.

But in an increasingly smart world, risks are also on the rise, and so is the need for young people to protect themselves. Thus, with a great awareness, the young people interviewed have also imagined new insurance services, placing security among the main themes of their future.

For 43% of Next Gen young people, cyber risks will increase. This is followed by damage caused by the failure of autonomous driving (32%) and damage caused by new pandemics (27%). Thus, by 2030, 30% of young people hope to have access to customizable policies built around their lifestyle.

The new forms of protection will also have to be increasingly integrated with technology (28%), digital and activated in seconds (24%).

Digitization remains at the top of their scale of needs, with policies that can be activated and managed entirely online (33%) but always with the possibility of meeting advisors directly at home in case of need, the existence of personal well-being protection centers (which should take the place of agencies) and branches replaced by simple remote calls and video calls.

In conclusion, the desire of young people is for a single policy that protects and insures them against all risks and that makes them feel protected in a world that is certainly more technological and attentive to the well-being of all, but also more insidious. This is a request that absolutely must be taken into consideration and that cannot go unheeded if we want to make the 2030s live up to the dreams of the new generations.

[1] Ania 2020 ranking

In collaboration with BNP Paribas Cardif

.