How Young Americans are Responding to Crises

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Derrick Feldmann highlights how young Americans are responding to the compounding crises of racial injustice and COVID-19. 

• What role can donors play in supporting the efforts of young Americans? 

• Read about building activism to address multiple crises. 

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Recent events have galvanized tens of thousands of young Americans of all races into becoming active and vocal supporters of Black Lives Matter — a vigorous, positive, can’t-be-ignored movement rooted in the efforts of countless others who have worked hard over decades to address and eliminate racial inequality in American society. The fact that the protests erupted in the midst of a public health crisis that required people to physically distance themselves from others has merely served to reinforce the shared experience of the protestors and made many feel as if they are part of an unstoppable global movement. Most young Americans (ages 18-30) now believe real change is at hand and inevitable.

The research initiative I lead under the Cause and Social Influence banner has been tracking the actions of this cohort in real time since the pandemic began, so when the first protests broke out after the killing of George Floyd, we were able to quickly add research questions specific to the issue of racial inequality. The result is four Influencing Young Americans to Act 2020 reports that reveal the kinds of actions young people have taken since Floyd’s death, as well as some of the other factors that have influenced young people since March.

Here are five key takeaways from the reports:

1. Charitable giving by young Americans is up.
2. Interest in online influencers is up.
3. Young Americans trust nonprofits and distrust Donald Trump.
4. Purchases and companies can influence change.
5. Young Americans are creating new channels of influence.

Read the full article about young Americans responding to crises by Derrick Feldmann at Philanthropy News Digest.