Remote work matters almost twice as much to Modern Explorers
The quiz gives this result to a student or graduate without a direction yet who answers that, for the next 6 months, they want to “find flexible/remote work I actually enjoy”. 1,423 takers have it, 1 in 9. Asked how important remote work is, 27.1% of them said very important, against 14.4% of the other 4,170 students and graduates, and only 15.3% called it unimportant, against 30.1%.
Freedom first, and people close by
Freedom and autonomy is the value 31.3% of Modern Explorers call most essential, against 23% of other students and graduates, and purpose falls to 21.6% from 28%. Flexibility does not mean working alone for this group: connection and belonging rises to 17.3% from 14.7%, and 31.8% say people come to them most for emotional support. Each of these gaps passes a two-proportion z-test against the other 3 student archetypes (p < 0.05).
| Answer | Share |
|---|---|
| Freedom and autonomy | 31.3% |
| Purpose and impact | 21.6% |
| Connection and belonging | 17.3% |
| Growth and mastery | 15.7% |
| Stability and security | 14% |
As children, 19.6% spent their free hours exploring nature, travel or how things work, against 16.5% of other students. They are also slightly further along: 10% are 25 to 34, against 7.6%.
Flexible work at the start of a career
Many young workers already get their flexibility through freelance work. Upwork's Freelance Forward survey of 3,000 US workers found that 52% of Gen Z professionals did freelance work in 2023 (Upwork, 2023). For a Modern Explorer with little work history, a freelance or project contract alongside study or a first job is a low-risk way to find out which kind of flexible work you enjoy, before you depend on it for rent.