Australia’s most entitled generation has been named and shamed, and Gen Z are taking home the unfortunate title.

News.com.au’s annual Great Aussie Debate results are in, and a whopping 38 per cent named Gen Z (16 to 29 year olds) as the most entitled generation, followed by Baby Boomers (62 to 80 year olds) at 22 per cent.

More than 53,000 Aussies took part in news.com.au’s Great Aussie Debate survey this year, delivering a stark, completely unfiltered snapshot of modern Australia.

From brutal cost-of-living truths to your raw thoughts on sex, work, and AI, we asked the tough questions and you didn’t hold back

Explore the full findings from the Great Aussie Debate 2026 here.

In news that will truly shock no one, older generations were more likely to say young people are entitled.

Meanwhile, younger people more likely to turn on their elders and say, actually, no, they’re the entitled ones.

Gen X (46 to 61 years old) is seen as the least entitled generation, receiving only four per cent of the overall vote.

Millennials (30 to 45 years old) were seen as slightly more entitled than Gen Alpha (2 to 16 years old), coming in at 19 per cent and 16 per cent.

So why are Gen Z seen as so entitled? News.com.au hit the streets of Bondi to find out.

One shirtless man didn’t even have to think when we asked, “Which is the most entitled generation?”

“Got to be Gen Z?” he said.

In typical Aussie bloke style, he also had nothing further to say after that searing zinger.

Similarly, a lady with a pram said she finds Gen Z the most entitled generation. When we asked why, she went full ambiguous politician.

“Just the way they conduct themselves sometimes,” she said mysteriously.

Moving right along.

A Gen Zer in trendy sunglasses threw her own generation under the bus.

“Probably Gen Z,” she said, explaining she believes phones and social media have made her generation more entitled.

Another Gen Zer kept with the theme of dobbing on their own and also threw the young Aussies to the wolves.

“We like to think we’re the best at everything,” he admitted.

It was an absolute Gen Z pile-on, with the young people even turning on themselves.

A Millennial holding a coffee said she also believes Gen Z are the most entitled.

“Millennials have had it quite rubbish sometimes,” she vented.

“All the Boomers got some good stuff, and then it all got very expensive, and life got a bit rubbish. And we lived through all of it.”

Two young Gen Zers mixed things up, and both happily claimed that Boomers were more entitled.

“Boomers because of, like, that mindset,” one wearing tiny sunglasses said.

Mindset? Very new age, very eat, pray, love, but what do you actually mean by that?

“More like rigid thinking,” her mate explained.

Got it!

Meanwhile, Alan, a nice man hanging out with his adult niece, said he wasn’t going to turn on Gen Z.

“As an older generation person, I would never call any of my nieces or nephews entitled,” he declared.

“Oh, thank you, Alan,” his niece replied.

She then launched into what can only be described as a beautiful speech, sounding like something delivered by a yoga instructor who starts reciting affirmations during the savasana part of class.

“I think everyone’s got their own challenges and we just have to be empathetic to all people and all generations,” she said.

You really can’t argue with that!

Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder said the truth is every generation is entitled, just in different ways.

“Every generation finds other generations entitled,” she told news.com.au.

“Boomers find it hard to shift their thinking, which can make them entitled. Gen Z wants everything now, and Millennials want flexibility.”

Ms Calder said there will always be “tensions” between generations, and communication is key.

“Gen Z wants things quickly. Gen Z will take a promotion and not want to take any advice or guidance, which can be seen as entitled,” she said.

“I have heard stories of Gen Zers quitting jobs after one day because they believe an entry-level job is ‘beneath’ them.”

Millennials, on the other hand, will prioritise flexibility over anything else, and she’s heard stories of them demanding to work fewer hours just so they can go to the gym.

Ms Calder said her own Generation X is guilty of setting their standards too high and she’s seen that annoy younger generations.

“I have standards that other generations might think make me entitled,” she said.

Ms Calder argued, though, that she holds herself to the same high standards she sets for everyone else.

At the end of the day, she said, all generations have their strengths and weaknesses, and we all need to learn to work together – even if some of us are more entitled.