India, March 23, 2022 — FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, today revealed the findings of its ‘Future is Now’ study* among Gen Z (18-24 years old).
As the fastest growing economy today, India is home to a fifth of the world’s youth with half of its 1.3 billion population below the age of 25[1].The study offers valuable insights into the priorities of the younger generation in the country.
With the future becoming more dynamic than ever, there is a substantial shift in the way generations are embracing ‘what’s next’, with new technologies, and an interest in sustainability impacting both business and individual lifestyles.
This is particularly true for Gen Z. According to the ‘Future is Now’ study, 38% of Gen Z respondents associated the phrase ‘Future is Now’ with technology advances in business, healthcare, education, and transportation, 33% to sustainable development, 13% to the rise in the use of robotics and artificial intelligence, 10% to living on Mars and a mere 6% to expecting everything to be personalized for them.
“The results of this study and particularly the responses of the younger population, reinforce our commitment to experimenting with sustainable technologies that benefit and align with our customers’ goals. As an industry leader, we have a responsibility towards the next generations and take bold actions by constantly innovating to meet future expectations,” said Mohamad Sayegh, Vice President Operations for FedEx Express in India
“FedEx is a vocal advocate for modernizing technologies that enhance the next generation of transportation vehicles and devices. Globally we are testing Roxo™, the autonomous FedEx SameDay Bot for last mile deliveries, which is designed to reduce carbon emissions, traffic congestion, and noise pollution,” added Sayegh.
The study also highlights what Gen Z considers when working with a future employer. 30% of Gen Z respondents stated they would consider a company’s sustainability agenda and its way of conducting business as a critical measure for choosing work, while 20% viewed the adoption and use of technology as most important. Interestingly, around 16% of Gen Z respondents cited a company’s research and development credentials and volume of patents as determinants while choosing future employers.
72% of Gen Z respondents also agreed that sustainability would be an indispensable part of their business in the future, and 76% agreed that being ‘planet-conscious’ is integral to a futuristic outlook.
Mohamad Sayegh added: “FedEx is working toward delivering a more sustainable future, with a goal of carbon neutral operations globally by 2040. We’re working to reduce emissions and waste, replace older technologies and vehicles, and revolutionize our facilities and packaging because we understand our role in helping to protect and preserve our planet.”
The ‘Future is Now’ study focused on three main views: being dynamic, how open the Indian population is to experimentation and innovation, and to what degree are they are sustainability conscious.
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*FedEx ‘Future is Now’ study Methodology
The above findings are based on research fieldwork conducted by Innovative Research Services (India) Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, through face-to-face and telephonic interviews with respondents in 18 Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. Out of these 18 cities, nine are Tier 1 cities which include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, and Secunderabad, while the other nine are Tier 2 cities which include Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow, Surat, Udaipur, and Varanasi. Respondents were a representative sample of people from the above cities aged between 18-24 years.
[1] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/here-s-what-young-indians-really-want-from-life/