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Youth Market Study Reveals U2’s Bono #1 Humanitarian Hero + 95% of Market More Likely to Consider Brands that Donate to Non-Profits
Released today, June 26, 02006, Label Networks’ “Humanitarian Youth Culture Study” is the 1st report to ever quantify the potential effects of “green marketing” and provide in-depth marketing intelligence about the perceptions of 13-24-year-olds about the environment, humanitarian causes, volunteerism, + their future. As results clearly illustrate in the Study, the timing is now to tap into these perceptions and trends to make a difference, not only in the North American youth culture landscape, but also towards effecting markets globally.
Here’s why: The North American youth culture marketplace today of 13-24-year-olds is among the most philanthropic and environmentally conscious demographic in the world. They are far more aware than generations previous of what’s taking place across the globe in terms of humanitarian need, poverty, AIDS, Africa, war and terrorism, and environmental issues such as global warming. As Label Networks’ has quantified, young people tend to support brands that give back and have far greater respect for celebrity-activists than average celebrities. As a generation growing up in the midst of increased consumer control, they not only want to do something about their future, they expect to. What this means is that there’s a great opportunity for reaching young people in an authentic and grassroots level by appealing to their senses of “good causes.” But what most companies, non-profits, and government organizations don’t know is just what the youth market thinks about such issues? How effective is their opinion if they’re too young to vote? What is their level of awareness and potential activism, and does this affect their purchasing patterns? What are their perceptions about such issues and changes they believe need to be made in the future?
To answer these questions, Label Networks launched a “Humanitarian Youth Culture Study” that asks about important topics regarding the environment and global warming, recycling, AIDS, Africa, poverty, volunteerism, politics and their purchasing practices, among other topics. Here is a preview of topline results in the Humanitarian Youth Culture Study:
Name the greatest environmental or humanitarian hero:
- 16.6% Bono; 7.8% Gandhi; 6.5% Angelina Jolie; 5.8% Mother Theresa + David Suzuki; 4.4% Al Gore + Captain Planet
Would you be more willing to buy a specific brand if you knew that the brand donated a percentage of profits to non-profit organizations?
Who do you think can make a bigger difference in the world?
- 77.2% Corporations; 22.7% Politicians
Generally, are you worried about the state of the environment? more
- 49.2% Somewhat worried about the environment; 43.5% Very Worried
What concerns you the most about the environment?
- 34.2% Gas Alternatives; 31.6% Global Warming; 10.1% Cleaner Cities; 8.8% Cleaner Oceans + Rivers
What best describes how you feel about the United States in terms of the environment?
- 43.7% Our government is messing up with the environment + our future; 40.1% We should do more to save our environment; 4.6% I don’t really care
When it comes to humanitarian problems, what concerns you the most?
- 22.3% Poverty; 15.9% War; 14.2% AIDS; 13.2% Lack of Education; 10.5% Teen Suicide
Do you think about Poverty in America or other parts of the world?
- 42.2% Yes, I think about it; 30.7% Yes I think about it sometimes; 24.1% Yes I think about it all the time and I want to do something about it
Which country or continent do you think needs the most assistance in terms of humanitarian help?
Which best describes your perception of Africa’s problems?
- 26.6% We need to fight the AIDS crisis there; 24.9% If we help Africa, then we are helping all of us in the end; 18.1% We need to educate more people; 17% We need to stop poverty
If you could spend your time volunteering, which project would you like to work on the most?
- 13.2% Youth Suicide; 13.1% Big brother/Big sister; 12.1% Animal Rights
Results to the Humanitarian Study include several open-ended questions. Comment examples:
- “There’s the war on drugs, the war on immigration, the war on AIDS, the war on war, but it s the war on earth—global warming—that’s going to kill us all unless we do something.”
- “I feel pretty strongly about youth suicide because kids need to know that someone will be affected if they choose this path of death.”
- “I think we have tipped over the environmental edge and are at best hanging to a weedy growth out of the side of a cliff high about sharp rocks.”
According to Kathleen Gasperini, Senior Vice President of Label Networks, the Humanitarian Youth Culture Study was started for many reasons. “First, we read the Commission Report on Africa, which stated that ‘The Commission substantially lacks in only one area and that is the lack of a proper analysis of western attitudes towards Africa.’ I knew we could answer these questions in terms of the youth marketplace and that our marketing intelligence may be of great importance and value to DATA, One, the UN, the NRDC for example, as well as companies and small, but active brands and engaged people, because it’s this kind of core information from future markets—youth markets--that can also, as the Commission Report stated, ‘shift the calculus for politicians in the west for generations to come’ through actionable research results.”
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“Secondly, our goal [at Label Networks] is to not only provide authentic intelligence about global youth culture markets towards allowing people to make the smartest business decisions, but also make a difference in other ways. In youth culture, trends are often non-linear, like the environment: The smallest idea can produce the most enormous results quickly. Some people will get that and act on it, however not always as a way to simply sell more products to young people, but to create something new of their own, inspired by other people’s genius. We hope the Humanitarian Youth Culture Study inspires a new kind of genius—towards making a difference that’s both productive and good for the future.”
The Humanitarian Youth Culture Study was comprised of a representative sampling of 5,000, 13-24-year-olds across North America and conducted from May 5-June 15, 02006. Results also include actionable, Macro trend editorial summaries and answers to why young people responded the way that they did, including results to open-ended questions and comments, plus key cross-tabs by gender and specific age groups.
The margin of error for this study is less than 2.5% at a confidence level of 95%.
The Humanitarian Youth Culture Study is free for subscribers to Label Networks and select organizations, non-profits, and interested citizens towards “shifting the calculus for generations to come.” For information, contact us at (323) 630-4000 or email info@labelnetworks.com.
