2020 Year in review
Letter from Derrick Feldmann
Lead Researcher, Cause and Social Influence
Change. It’s never had such opposing meanings for a young American as in 2020.
On the one hand, the daily lives of these young people (ages 18-30) changed drastically. They missed out on graduation ceremonies, face-to-face job interviews, the collegiality of working with others, attending friend and family gatherings. They struggled with the tangible and intangible effects of isolation, job loss and constant uncertainty.
Yet, they rose beyond these personal adversities to help others and try to change the things they felt were wrong.
Before we put 2020’s major moments behind us, it’s important to see what we can learn about how and why young Americans chose to act. Three major moments in quick succession – a pandemic, George Floyd’s death, the election – offer a singular chance to study how digital and non-digital activism reinforce each other and drive social movements.
We’re in a fascinating era of engagement. Especially in a pandemic, young Americans could choose to rely on technology to connect and make their voices heard. Instead, traditional offline ways to participate in social issues remain strong, used in conjunction with online activities but not replaced by them. Here’s the best example: Based on three years of research, we can confidently state that this age group sees voting as the best way to bring about social change.
What happens now? Interest and participation were gaining momentum heading into 2020. This year showed what young Americans believe they must do to accomplish change. The question now is whether moments in the coming year will warrant the same level of response.
Download 2020 Year in Review
Introduction
The research team at Cause and Social Influence has long tracked and reported on the actions of young Americans (age 18-30) relevant to major social moments and movements..
From a nationwide pandemic in early spring to demonstrations for racial equity through the summer to a presidential election campaign heading into late fall, 2020 was an opportunity to collect large amounts of such data over an extended time period.
Terms:
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-organizing.
A movement is 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 address the issue and achieve a satisfactory resolution without the support of dedicated community activists and constituents.
A social issue is an existing topic/situation of interest/concern recognized as being for or against society’s general values, yet able to be alleviated through people working together using community resources and/or the political or legislative system.
In 2020, Cause and Social Influence tracked the actions and influences surrounding three major moments:
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States,
The movement for racial equality, anti-discrimination and social justice for Black Americans, and
The presidential election.
This work resulted in research findings from six separate reports of Influencing Young America to Act, all of which can be downloaded at causeandsocialinfluence.com.
This final report of 2020 takes a holistic look at all the data from this year to identify consistencies and help synthesize the key areas of learning to inform future social issue campaigns, efforts and approaches aimed at engaging young Americans. It presents:
Specific actions and the influences prompting social issue engagement
Identified consistencies across all three moments
Methodology
For each study, researchers took a quantitative approach with an online survey fielded to a nationally representative panel based on census-projected ethnic and demographic composition. The response rate for each survey gave the data presented a 95% confidence interval and 3% margin of error. The complete demographic profile for each report is available at causeandsocialinfluence.com.
We must note that, for demographic data-gathering, researchers asked respondents to self-identify their race/ethnic identity and allowed space for write-in answers. Researchers recognize that identifying people by race and reporting on actions that have to do with race are complex endeavors, and we have done so with the highest consideration. People are much more than their racial or ethnic identity.
We must also note that, in reviewing and analyzing data and drawing conclusions about behavior during the pandemic, researchers acknowledge the restrictions suggested and imposed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), the White House, state and local governments, and businesses and employers.
Research Team
Derrick Feldmann Lead Researcher
Amy Thayer, Ph.D. Researcher
Melissa Wall Research Associate
Cindy Dashnaw Copywriter
Tyler Hansen Graphic Design
Key Findings
The Three Top Actions Young Americans Took To Help Others In 2020 Were to a) Change The Way They Shop B) Post/Share Content On A Social Media Platform and C) Sign Petitions
Calls To Action Reached Young Americans Most Often Through Social Media
Young Americans Got Their News Primarily On Facebook and From Sources FOX News And CNN
Celebrities and Online Influencers/Content Creators As Motivators For Social Action Grew Significantly From March To November
Animal Rights, Civil Rights/Racial Discrimination/Social Justice, Climate Change and Healthcare Reform Were The Top Social Issues For Which Young Americans Volunteered in 2020
Animal Rights, Healthcare Reform and Food Banks Were The Top Social Issues For Which Young Americans Made Donations in 2020
Young Americans Overwhelmingly Supported A Presidential Candidate Based On His Position Toward Racial Equity
Young Americans Believe Corporations Can Influence Attitudes And Behaviors To Social Issues And Trust Them More To Do What is Right
