The Ypulse Report — Social Causes
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
Involvement in social causes remains high among teens and collegians. Nearly three quarters of students have at least one cause they support or are involved with. They not only donate their time, but also give money. Education and child welfare continue to be the most important causes to high schoolers and collegians. That’s no surprise as the more relevant a cause is to a person’s day-to-day life, the more likely it is to be important to him or her. Activism takes off in one’s college years — collegians are more likely than high schoolers to say causes are important and to be involved with charitable organizations.
Black, Hispanic, and Asian students tend to be more involved in charities than White students. The causes that impact their daily lives are different, and as a result, they’re more likely than their peers to say discrimination, poverty, and civil/human rights are important social causes.
Students believe that corporations and brands should do their part to support causes, and they reward those that do. They have a better of opinion of retailers and brands that are involved in causes that matter to them, and they prefer to buy products that give back to charitable organizations.
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In this edition of the Ypulse Report, we offer an in-depth look at music trends and movie consumption among teens and college students, as well as insight towards the social causes that resonate most with this generation. Along with a detailed analysis of the genres and artists most popular today, we examine the role technology has played in developing a digital ecosystem and bridging the intergenerational. Additionally, the report explores the influence that social responsibility has over brand preferences, purchase decisions and personal action. We found in spite of both age groups holding strong convictions and high corporate standards, there was a considerable amount of inactivity among teens and college students. It begs the question of whether these demos need more outlets, more direction or both? 
This Ypulse Report provides an in-depth look at students’ feelings and behaviors about social causes and globalization. From green marketing to fears of being outsourced, Ypulse taps into the minds of 1,000 college students to help marketers understand the the habits and preferences that shape this large and influential generation of consumers. 