2021 research
Letter from Derrick Feldmann
Lead Researcher, Cause and Social Influence
When we started the Cause and Social Influence research project years ago, we kept one thing in mind: Let’s not report only on what people are interested in as reflected by their actions; let’s also show who is influencing their behavior. Without the latter, all of us can too easily slide into generalizations and stereotypes about young Americans.
Based on our 2021 research, it is clear that young people are being inspired to act for causes by what they see, hear and experience in social media platforms, of course – and also through experiences they witness firsthand. Essentially, as the advertising industry says, the out of home (OOH) experience moves them.
While some will view the oldest members of gen z and the youngest millennials as strictly digital, we continue to see in our research that digital platforms are an “and” and not an “or” medium. Young people are influenced digitally AND in other ways – ways that brands and causes addressing social issues must consider when trying to incite action.
As I look into the issues and movements 18- to 30-year-olds have been actively involved with alongside their views and perceptions, I am reminded of something I wrote in an article in Philanthropy News Digest about the moveable middle.
In the article, I talked about how moments happen every year and issues bubble up from time to time. While we all get entrenched in the daily interests of the anti or pro side of any issue, I said, a large majority of people take a position in the middle – a vantage point where one can see the merits of both arguments. As I look at involvement in social issues by the young people in our studies, I think 2021 followed the same path. New issues bubbled up each quarter from the cultural and social narratives carried forward from events and moments.
But what happens when the noise leaves, the media stops paying attention, pressure by causes or even activists lets up and we move on with daily life? What happens before the next bubble?
I look at that time as a gift. Use it to truly understand what underlies your own or your organization’s social cause identity. See what issues are left standing and examine which ones are polarizing and which have the potential to numb interest in the large swath of those in the middle.
We focused this final report on the one issue that remains constant with this group: Mental health. It’s within or near the top three to five issues of biggest concern for most young Americans we study year after year. As we enter an era of what some call the endemic portion of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot assume that this cohort wants to go back to the “normal” – the way things were before the pandemic – because they faced mental health challenges then, which have been exacerbated by isolation and fear. Perhaps they would rather find a new place where their mental and physical health can be addressed together.
I leave you with one final thought before you dive into this year’s compilation. Your work as a corporate, cause and/or movement leader is to inform and educate others to change perceptions in ways that lead to actions or inaction. Keep that in mind as you peruse the findings because clearly, this generation desires knowledge about the moments and leading issues they witness or are exposed to on social media.
Will you present knowledge in a way that allows a person to grow on their social issue journey, adding value to their experience and not just aiming at your own needs? That is the hard balance of any leader in the space: creating an environment of learning that enables the kind of influence necessary for true growth on the most important issues of our time.
