Think the younger generation is “ruining” photography? Think again – Gen Z actually prints more photos than Boomers, study suggests

Gen Z is bringing back “retro” digicams with single digit megapixel counts – but a recent study suggests that young adults are also more likely to print photos than other generations. 

A recent study commissioned by Haven, a UK-based holiday park brand, suggests that young adults between ages 18 and 27 print two times as many photographs compared to older generations.

The poll, which included 2,000 participants in the UK, revealed that around 43% of Gen Z, or young adults between ages 18 and 27, regularly print images. Only five percent of Boomers, which currently covers those between age 60 and 78, that participated in the study said they regularly print out their digital images.

The Gen Zers participating in the survey, on average, print images around four times a year. But the study looked at more than just printing the images – the numbers suggest that around 19% of people rarely look over their digital photos. 

That means roughly one in five people don’t really browse through those old digital photos. Like with the prints, the generation most likely to ignore the images on their digital devices are those aged over 65.

While Gen Z is the most likely to print photos, on average, Millennials have the most images on their camera roll, with an average of 2,574, according to the survey. About 42% of those surveyed said they have physical prints of the trips they have taken.

Is the trend for retro cameras encouraging more people to print their images? I hope so. The Haven study contrasts with a survey conducted in 2015 by the Professional Photographers of America that suggested that 67% of people stored images exclusively in a digital format.

Those two studies aren’t a direct comparison, with one based in the UK, one based in the US and 10 years between the two. It’s also worth noting that the PPA survey polled photographers and the Haven study the general public.

There’s not enough data to say with any confidence that more people are printing images than a decade ago – but I certainly hope that’s the case. I hope the trend for using a dedicated compact camera rather than a smartphone leads to more physical prints. Photographs deserve to exist beyond digital pixels.

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