[Youth Now! Gen Z Trend Survey] Gen Z is Canceling Summer Days: Young People Pay for Comfort and Efficiency in an Era of Extreme Heat

Reaplus Inc. [Reaplus] (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shion Matsumoto) has conducted a qualitative survey titled 'How Gen Z Spends Summer' targeting Generation Z through its marketing service 'Youth Now!', which visualizes youth insights.

In recent years, the normalization of extreme heat has significantly changed how young people spend their summers.

This survey revealed consumption behaviors unique to the era of extreme heat, differing from the traditional value of 'summer = actively enjoying outdoor activities,' including:

- Avoiding daytime plans with a 'night-shift lifestyle'

- AI-powered travel planning

- Paying for services to avoid queues and walking

- Selecting summer leisure activities with social media posting in mind

Survey Overview

Survey Name: [Youth Now! Trend Survey] Trend Insights on How Gen Z Spends Summer

Conducted by: Reaplus Inc. [Reaplus]

Method: Group discussions (qualitative research)

Duration: Approximately 45 minutes per session

Participants: Four young women with diverse lifestyles and living arrangements

Date: May 12, 2026

Survey Objectives:

- Changes in daily behavior due to extreme heat

- Criteria for selecting travel and leisure activities

- Real-world usage of AI and social media

- Willingness to spend on comfort

- Changes in social media posting behavior

*This survey is exploratory, aiming to uncover the structure of expression behaviors and value systems, not statistical quantitative data.

Survey Summary (Excerpt)

1. Gen Z is canceling 'summer daytime'

The most frequently heard comments from participants were:

"I don’t schedule anything during the day"

"I only hang out with friends at night"

"I cancel everything during summer daytime"

To avoid discomfort caused by extreme heat, young people are shifting their activity times from afternoon to night.

There is growing interest in content that can be enjoyed in cool, comfortable environments, such as night cruises and hotel lounges in the evening, indicating a shift away from traditional daytime-centric leisure demand.

2. Travel planning via AI, final decisions based on 'amateur reviews'

Regarding information gathering for travel and leisure:

"I have ChatGPT create my travel plans"

was mentioned by several participants.

At the same time, behaviors such as:

"Even if I find something on TikTok, I always check Google Maps"

"I verify with photos taken by ordinary people"

were common, showing that young people do not blindly trust social media content but instead verify it with real reviews and photos.

Young people are making multi-layered decisions through the following process:

Awareness → Social Media

Planning → AI

Verification → Google Maps

*This press release includes only a portion of the results.

The full report, including all questions and detailed data, can be requested by inquiry via the link below.

Youth Now! also offers free marketing consultations—please feel free to contact us.

Request Materials: https://www.youthnow.jp/report/gen-z-summer-survey-2026

Download Materials

Sample Materials

Ultra-efficient planning using AI and social media

Redefining 'summery-ness' with social media posting in mind

Implications for Companies and Brands

① Capturing 'nighttime demand' is crucial for summer campaigns

Young people’s activity times are shifting to nighttime.

- Night pools

- Evening operations

- Night events

- Night markets

Strategic planning focused on the evening and beyond is essential.

② Information must be designed to be selected by AI

In the future, travel planning using ChatGPT will become commonplace, not just Google searches.

It is important to structure facility and tourism information in a format easily readable by AI.

③ Queues and waiting times are the biggest cause of drop-off

Young people do not believe in 'waiting in line because it’s popular,' but rather hold the value of:

"paying money to avoid waiting in line."

Reservation systems and priority entry programs are essential for reducing waiting times.

◼️ CEO Comment

"What stood out most in this survey was that while Gen Z’s desire to 'enjoy summer' remains unchanged, the way they enjoy it has significantly evolved.

In the past, 'summery-ness' itself was valuable, but now the prerequisite is a 'summer that can be comfortably enjoyed.'

Additionally, the behavior of entrusting travel planning to AI and verifying it via social media and Google Maps was highly symbolic.

For future summer campaigns, it won’t be enough to simply offer summery experiences—we believe the key competitive axis will be 'how to reduce stress from heat and waiting times.'"

<Profile>

CEO, Reaplus Inc.

Shion Matsumoto (born 1999)

Engaged in multiple businesses including advertising, influencer marketing, D2C, and research, analyzing decision-making of Gen Z and Gen Alpha through three lenses: 'behavioral economics,' 'SNS data,' and 'real-world practice.'

Specializes in structurally analyzing and implementing marketing solutions for challenges such as 'going viral but not selling' and 'not reaching young people' in the social media era, focusing on who is saying what and in what context.

Strengths include real-world management perspectives gained from operating multiple businesses and the ability to articulate youth understanding beyond mere intuition.

Youth-Specific Problem-Solving Support by Reaplus (Reaplus)

Understanding Gen Z’s behaviors and values requires more than just observing trends—it’s crucial to structurally understand 'why they emerge and how they spread.'

Reaplus (Reaplus) provides tailored solutions for corporate challenges through its unique youth-focused research using YouthNow! and marketing design rooted in social media and content.

Services Offered (SERVICES)

① Survey Research

[Revealing the reality of purchasing behavior through numbers]

Quantify product usage scenarios and purchasing behaviors to visualize Gen Z’s decision-making patterns. Provide 'evidence-based data' for target design and promotional strategies.

② Influencer Interviews

[Discovering the seeds of trends from content creators’ perspectives]

Conduct interviews with influencers with follower counts ranging from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands.

Analyze the factors that generate empathy from the 'makers' of trends.

③ Group Interviews

[Capturing moments of empathy in words]

Conduct roundtable discussions with 4–8 young people to visualize emotional tones invisible in quantitative surveys.

Extract 'true feelings' and 'unconscious needs' from conversations.

④ Gifting Research

[Measuring how experiences affect purchase intent]

Provide products or services to young people and visualize changes in purchase intent alongside social media posts.

Discover authentic feedback after use, different from pre-use impressions.

⑤ One-Stop Strategy Proposals

[One team from data to action]

Analyze survey results and translate them into marketing and advertising strategies.

Design actionable plans centered on insights.

⑥ Trend Research Reports

[Monitoring the 'present' of youth across industries]

Regularly distribute reports summarizing youth trends across industries.

Input for internal documents and next-phase planning