82% of Gen Z Feel Good About Money. Here's What They're Doing Differently.

ING's 2026 Sense of Us report surveyed Australians across every generation about their financial outlook. The gap is striking: 82% of Gen Z and 74% of Millennials feel positive about their financial future. Among Baby Boomers, it's 49%.

Same economy. Same interest rates. Same cost-of-living squeeze. But the pressure doesn't land the same way across age groups, and the difference isn't just attitude. It's behaviour.

Why the split?

Older Australians are more likely to carry established financial commitments: mortgages, business overheads, fixed costs that don't flex when prices rise. When everything gets more expensive, the room to move shrinks. 93% of Gen X and 91% of Boomers say cost of living is their biggest financial obstacle. For Gen Z, it's 69%.

Younger Australians haven't locked in those structures yet. Instead of building one income stream and defending it, they're diversifying from the start.

The numbers behind the confidence

46% of Gen Z plan to invest in shares or ETFs in the next 12 months. Among Millennials, 43%. The national average is 30%, meaning younger cohorts are well above the baseline.

19% of Millennials plan to start a side hustle or small business this year. That's not a dream board stat. A side project with an ABN, a separate bank account, and a client or two is how a lot of Australian businesses begin.

Even on superannuation, the pattern holds. 46% of Gen Z and 47% of Millennials are making voluntary contributions, compared to 16% of Boomers. They're building long-term wealth earlier. Not because they have more money, but because the information is more accessible and the barriers to entry have dropped.

On housing, 4% plan to rent-vest: rent where they want to live and buy where the numbers work. It's a strategic approach to property that treats a home as a financial asset, not a lifestyle milestone.

What to do with this

If you're considering a side hustle, the gap between an idea and a business is smaller than you think, but it's structural, not motivational. Register an ABN. Open a separate transaction account. Track what you earn and spend from the first dollar. If the project grows, those records become essential. If it doesn't, you've lost an hour of admin.

If you're in the 91% of Gen X feeling squeezed, the instinct is to cut. But there's a version of the younger playbook that applies at any age: instead of only asking "where do I spend less?", also ask "is there something I already know or own that could generate income?" A spare room, a skill, underused equipment, a professional network. The Millennials starting side hustles aren't doing it because they're braver. They're doing it because the infrastructure to start is easier than it's ever been.

This article is general information only and is not financial advice.