We just published our final research report for 2021 on the social issues, movements, and causes sparking interest in young Americans (ages 18-30) as reflected by their actions and who influenced their behaviors. We saw three major themes emerge over the course of the year:
a) Digital and out-of-home (OOH) experiences influence awareness and action.
b) Issues and actions remain consistent despite major moments.
c) Mental health is an ongoing concern.
Influence comes through digital and out of home (OOH) experiences
Even as restrictions imposed by the ongoing pandemic continued into 2021, so too did evidence that digital participation in social issues complements but does not replace offline engagement. Our 2021 research shows that calls to action still reach most young Americans through social media platforms, as continually evidenced in newer platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok; however, digital platforms are an “and” and not an “or” medium.
Young people are influenced digitally and in other ways, including what marketers refer to as OOH experiences, even in a pandemic. We also found that moments witnessed firsthand via experiential marketing, billboards, and other exposure influence this age group to take action.
Recommendation: Those working to address social issues must consider both digital and OOH when trying to influence this cohort to act in support of their specific causes. While influencers, content creators, and those with a platform inform and generate awareness, their efforts must be coupled with additional strategies (such as OOH and experiential marketing) to saturate the social issue space enough to influence desired behaviors.
Moments inspire consistent issues and actions
January 1, 2021 brought to a close a year of three major moments destined to change young Americans’ lives forever: the COVID-19 pandemic, the prospect of a new presidency, and a broad-based movement for racial equity and social justice. The surges of engagement fueled by these moments brought about concerns and behaviors in this cohort that largely held fast throughout 2021, even as the spotlights on the issues waned.
Civil rights/racial discrimination/social justice remained in the top three social issues of interest for this age group every quarter, even supplanting the perennial animals/animal rights as the top issue in the winter. Health-related issues (health care, COVID-19, mental health, and gun safety) stayed in the top three. When asked about their involvement in movements, respondents put the #BlackLivesMatter movement in the number-one or -two spots throughout the year; the #HumanRights movement overtook the top spot in the second half of the year, while #BlackLivesMatter dropped to second. Two actions that remained consistent throughout 2021 were signing petitions and donating either goods or services. Posting on social media was popular in the spring, yet in the second half of the year, changing the way they purchased products or services and taking time to learn about a social issue joined petition signing as the most popular.
Recommendation:Whether you’re a corporate, cause, or movement leader, your job is to move the individual through the states of awareness, education, and action. To make this journey consistent and impactful, leaders must understand how best to create content; this means using key trusted messengers who inform and nudge young Americans to take approachable actions that align with the common actions we have seen in the research.
Concern for mental health
The issue of mental health often catches the public’s attention in conjunction with a moment more directly related to another social issue—for example, a school shooting or a celebrity’s untimely death. Our research, however, consistently shows that young Americans remain concerned about mental health even when the many other social issues they care about are the focus.
Our 2021 research reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the mental health of many and strengthened their desire for change. More than 75 percent of respondents said people like themselves should take action related to mental health, and the top reason they gave is chilling: They or someone they know is facing mental health challenges right now.
Recommendation: We cannot assume that young people want to “get back to normal” or “go back to the way things were” when the pandemic abates. For them, those statements mean returning to the pre-pandemic treatment of their mental health challenges. Instead, they want the attention COVID has brought to mental health to translate into a “new normal” where professionals address their mental and physical health together.
What to do next
In the social issue space, a moment is 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-organization. We should use moments not merely as jumping-off points or as a means to our own ends but rather as part of a larger ecosystem of social-impact communication and influence. Those who seek attention and influence in a crowded space must realize that once a moment has passed, the issues and memories of the moment will remain.
So, learn everything you can from moments while you have the chance. Remember to look beyond today for information you can use to create approachable, consistent actions tomorrow that will bring individuals into your journey of issue engagement long after the moment is gone.
You can download the report, Influencing Young Americans to Act: 2021 Year in Review, at Cause & Social Influence.
Derrick Feldmann (@derrickfeldmann) is the founder of the Millennial Impact Project, lead researcher at Cause & Social Influence, and the author of The Corporate Social Mind. Read more by Derrick.
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