For many of us, being late is considered the height of rudeness – a sign of disrespect, even contempt, for those you wait for.
But that doesn’t apply to Generation Z, who believe that being ten minutes late is just as good as being on time.
Nearly half (46 percent) of young people aged 16 to 26 say that being five to ten minutes late is perfectly acceptable, as is being punctual.
However, tolerance for slowness decreases with age.
About 39 percent of millennials (those ages 27 to 42) forgive friends or colleagues if they are up to ten minutes behind schedule. This drops to 26 percent for generation X (43 to 58 years) and 20 percent for baby boomers (59 years and older). ).
Nearly half of Gen Z – 46 percent – of the 16 to 26 age group say being five to 10 minutes late is perfectly acceptable, as is being punctual (stock image)
About 39 percent of millennials (those ages 27 to 42) forgive friends or colleagues if they are up to ten minutes behind schedule. This drops to 26 percent for generation X (43 to 58 years) and 20 percent for baby boomers (59 years and older). )
Seven in 10 boomers say they have no tolerance for any level of slowness, with 69 percent saying “late is late.” Only 21 percent of Generation Z agreed.
It’s the latest example of a generational divide in social norms.
As The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this year, a whopping 93 percent of Gen Z job applicants said they simply didn’t turn up for a job interview.
And because they are Generation Z, they have turned their inability to be punctual into a syndrome, with many claiming “time blindness” as a condition linked to attention deficit disorder.
In the latest survey, online meeting company Meeting Canary asked 1,016 British adults about their attitudes to punctuality.
In total, just 38 percent of all age groups agreed with the old saying that Match Of The Day’s Alan Shearer lives by: ‘To be early is to be on time. Being on time means being late. And being late is unacceptable.”
Alan Shearer of The Match Of The Day lives by the old saying: ‘To be early is to be on time. Being on time means being late. And being late is unacceptable’
Of all ages, 33 percent would accept someone being five to ten minutes late. And nine percent find a delay between 11 and 15 minutes acceptable.
Meeting Canary founder Laura van Beers said: ‘It seems like being ten minutes late is now the equivalent of being on time, especially for the younger generation who are clearly more forgiving when it comes to keeping time.
‘Their attitude has led to a new interpretation of the meaning of punctuality and for them keeping time is a flexible proposition – within reason.
‘Older people are much more likely to arrive five minutes early to ensure they are on time, while younger people aim to be no more than ten minutes late to be on time.’