Soft Hermitting: Why Gen Z Is Glad to Stay Home Now

A new survey of 3,000 Americans aged 18–28 by online learning platform PapersOwl finds that 77% of respondents identify with “soft hermitting” – a term they use for staying in more, without seeing themselves as full-on shut-ins. Instead of aggressively chasing plans, they’re choosing not to over-schedule social life, and they’re surprisingly happy about it.

The research also shows JOMO – the joy of missing out – now clearly beating the old FOMO, by a ratio of two to one. Rising living costs are a major driver: with eating and drinking out more expensive, many Gen Zers feel that staying home is better both for their wallets and their mental health.

That doesn’t mean abandoning friends. The same study reports that 51% actively prefer “activity-based hangouts” – think board games, cooking together, or going for a walk – over open-ended, talk-first meetups. Another third like this format depending on the situation, and only 5% say they’d rather have traditional, unstructured hangs. In other words, young Americans are redesigning social life around low-pressure, time-bounded gatherings. For Japan, where prices and social burnout are also rising, this softer, more intentional version of staying in may be one of the next imported lifestyle shifts.