Some Chinese youth who spoke to Reuters reflected the sense of frustration.
But China's Gen Z has its own characteristics that present a dilemma for Xi, some analysts said.
A survey of 4,000 Chinese by consultancy Oliver Wyman found Gen Z to be the most negative about China's economic outlook of all the age groups.
FIXING THE YOUTHIn a New Year speech, Xi acknowledged the need to improve the prospects of China's youth, without mentioning the protests against his zero-COVID approach.
Making housing more affordable could mean allowing a sector responsible for a quarter of China's economic activity in recent years to collapse.