Gen Z is the generation most powerfully drawn to nostalgia, according to a new study of three generations of consumers in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. The research, entitled "Then is Now: A Study on Modern Nostalgia", was commissioned by Vevo — the music video streaming service jointly owned by Sony Music and Universal Music Group — and highlights how vintage songs and older cultural moments are increasingly driving music and content discovery. The findings matter commercially because Vevo has been using them to court advertisers in the upfront marketplace, arguing that pairing current releases with nostalgic library content delivers strong, "sticky" engagement.

The study surveyed 1,800 people, split evenly across the three countries and across Gen X (defined as ages 46-61), Millennials (30-45) and Gen Z (14-29). It documents a rise in "borrowed" nostalgia, in which people yearn for eras they never actually lived through: 65% of Gen Z reported this, compared with 55% of Millennials and 54% of Gen X. Vevo says new releases now act as a springboard to its back catalogue, citing view spikes such as a 547% jump for Harry Styles' "Sign of the Times" after the film "Project Hail Mary", a 62% rise in Beatles views following the November 2025 "Anthology" docuseries, and a 52% lift for Sade's "No Ordinary Love" after FX's "Love Story". Executives, including global sales VP Rob Christensen, framed nostalgia as a premium but competitively priced offering, noting the upfront market is "no longer just about scale".