Young Americans Place High Degree of Trust in Nonprofits, Study Finds

Nonprofits are influential in how young people choose which causes to support, and trust in charities remains high, according to a new study.

Young people trust themselves and others like them the most, followed by nonprofits, social movements, local government, and the federal government. They trust companies the least.

A new report from the Cause and Social Influence program at Influence|SG, with support from the Case Foundation, sought to examine what influences young people and how they can influence others to take action on social issues.

The report, titled “Influencing Young America to Act,” was based on surveys of 1,100 people ages 18 to 30.

Derrick Feldmann, managing director of Influence|SG, said those who work in nonprofits should look at the report and see which issues are in line with their mission and with young people.

The top issues for today’s young Americans are civil rights and racial discrimination, gun safety, immigration, and climate change. Black Lives Matter was the top movement of interest.

Before deciding what actions to take to get more people involved, Feldmann suggests nonprofit professionals ask, “What are people talking about, and are we listening to feedback?”

By paying attention to conversations happening online, Feldmann says nonprofits can learn about their audience and become more responsive. One practical approach is posting relevant news articles on social-media channels to spark a conversation.

News coverage and nonprofits influence most young people to begin supporting a social issue, the report noted.

Other findings of the study include:

• Young Americans are not happy with the direction the country is going, and voting topped the list of ways young people seek to make change happen. Across all races and ethnicities, respondents said voting is a duty and the most effective means of change. Two-thirds of those surveyed intend to vote in November’s midterm elections.
• Social media influences youths to get involved in movements. Once they get involved, they often sign petitions or attend rallies to try to create change.