2020 COVID-19 research -March

Introduction

Rarely is the public’s response to a social issue so vital as it is right now. That’s why the Cause & Social Influence initiative has begun a series of research studies to track young Americans’ actions related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

This brief presents the first round of COVID-19 social actions and issue research by the Cause and Social Influence initiative; more will come as the pandemic continues. As information unfolds, living with and researching the pandemic will be a learning process and one we look forward to sharing with those seeking to activate young Americans.

Research Protocol

For this phase of the research, a quantitative approach was taken with an online survey fielded from 6 PM EST on March 20, 2020, to 6 PM EST on March 21, 2020, to collect data about the actions taken by young Americans (ages 18-30) related to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) during the preceding week. The survey generated 1,105 responses from a nationally representative panel based on census-projected ethnic and demographic composition. With this response rate, the data presented has a 95% confidence interval and 3% margin of error. Please see below for panel demographics.

In reviewing and analyzing data and drawing conclusions about behavior during this pandemic, researchers acknowledge the restrictions suggested and imposed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the White House, state governments and employers. During the period covered by the survey, individuals were still permitted by law to gather (though they were beginning to be discouraged from doing so). Many retail outlets, movie theaters, convenience stores and Spring Break beaches were still open, while restaurants were just beginning to offer drive-through services only.

Key Findings

1. Traditional news media, not online influencers or celebrities, have driven awareness of COVID-19.

2. The top action taken to support others during the pandemic has been to change consumer buying habits.

3.  Family and friends are playing a huge role in whether young people are slowing the spread of the virus.

4. Young Americans think companies can powerfully influence attitudes toward COVID-19 measures.

5. The vast majority of young Americans think fake news about COVID-19 exists and that social media is a haven for it.

6. Young people are split on whether local government or nonprofits are the most trusted entity during the pandemic.

Research Terminology and Focus

• Campaign: A deliberate, organized and active promotion or pathway by a company, cause or governmental entity to create awareness, attention and action that may result in individual support (financial, activism and volunteerism) for a social issue.

• Fake News: Information that is not factually accurate and/or opinions presented as fact

• Generation Z: The group of people born after 1996

• Influence: An external force that inspires a person to become aware, adopt and act for or against a social issue.

• Millennials: The group of people born 1981-1996

• Moment: A one-time or short-term concentration of informal or organized actions fueled by cultural, political and/or social events or occurrences that yield a surge of individual participation and public self-organizing.

• Movement: A long-term concentration of efforts by a group of people organized for the purpose of creating or resisting an identified social change. The result of the movement is change in mindset, behavior and policy for the betterment of those affected.

• Social Issue: An existing situation recognized as being against society’s general values, yet able to be alleviated through people working together and/or using community resources.

• Social Movement: A group of people working together to support the interests of a community whose lives are affected by a specific issue; the group often is unable to overcome this issue without the support of dedicated community activists and constituents.

• Young Americans: People living in the United States who are in their formative years. For research purposes, this will comprise individuals aged 18-30.