2022 Fall Research

Download Full Report

Introduction

Stories related to climate, women’s issues, the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, Ukraine’s fight against Russia and, briefly, Queen Elizabeth II’s death dominated the news since Cause and Social Influence published its Summer 2022 report. CSI tracks the behaviors and motivations of young Americans (ages 18-30) related to social issues and major moments each quarter. This third report of 2022 continues findings on data tracked all year for comparison; additionally, this third wave specifically spotlights young Americans’ attitudes about and participation in public events (marches, rallies, protests and demonstrations).

Methodology

Cause and Social Influence researchers took a quantitative approach with an online survey fielded September 23-25, 2022, of 1,000 young Americans (ages 18-30) － a nationally representative sample based on census-projected ethnic and demographic composition. With this response rate, the data presented has a 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error. Respondents were asked to self-identify gender and race/ethnic identity and given the option not to answer.

 
 
 
 

Key Findings

Young Americans Again Ranked Women’s Rights as the Top Social Issue of Interest－and Returned Climate Change to the Top Five.

 
 
 

Young Americans Still Taking Time to Learn About Social Issues.

 
 
 

Causes are Top Source of Influence Prompting Young Americans to Act in Support of a Social Issue.

 
 
 
 
 

Expectation of Corporate Involvement in Social Issues and Belief in Corporate Influence Remains High.

 
 
 
 
 
 

All Branches and Levels of Government are Adequately Addressing Social Issues Young Americans Care About the Most.

 
 
 

Young Americans are Slightly More Positive About President Biden Keeping His Campaign Promises than Before, Including his Handling of Black Americans’ Social Justice Issues.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Confidence that the Country is on the Right Track is Up Slightly, but a Third of Young Americans Remain Uncertain.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Public Gatherings (Marches, Protests, Rallies) are Effective Ways to Support Social Causes and Movements.

 
 
 

Young Americans are Evenly Split in Their Participation in Public Gatherings (Marches, Protests, Rallies). They Hear About Such Gatherings for Civil Rights, Animals and Immigration the Most.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Causes and Neighbors are Top Source of Influence for Public Gathering Participation. Social Media has Little Influence.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Sample

Age

Gender

Race

 
 

Employment Status

Marital Status

Education

 
 
 

Location