it comes to insights about Millennials, our most populous generation, the annual Millennial Impact Report never disappoints. Created by research firm Achieve and the Case Foundation, the Millennial Impact Report is the most comprehensive study of the millennial generation (born 1980-2000) and their involvement with causes.
Last year, the report examined the relationships between Millennial employees and their managers as well as how those relationships influence engagement in company-sponsored cause work. One of the key takeaways that I appreciated from the 2015 report was that Millennials are craving to feel connected to the social purpose of their companies, but if their peers and direct supervisors aren’t supportive, young employees may not have the encouragement they need to actually participate.
This year, the Millennial Impact Report has a particularly timely focus: how millennials’ cause engagement behaviors may change during an election year, and how these changes may be influenced by various demographics.
Surveying over 75,000 people, the 2016 report draws some early clues about how Millennials are responding to the presidential race and what their attitudes say about their philanthropic motivations.
As the study continues over the course of the election cycle, the report will see how those behaviors change over time, and by implication how organizations can cultivate interest and involvement with this generation. As the report notes, “It is likely that during an election year, causes and organizations that are politically aligned or part of a candidate’s agenda could see an increase in participation from this generation. Conversely, millennial participation in a cause could decrease during an election year – whether at a local, state or federal level – if that cause isn’t aligned with a candidate’s political agenda or because it’s out of the public spotlight.”
