A survey commissioned by World Vision, a Christian international relief and development group, says that girls in the USA are more likely than boys in the USA to “friend”, “like” or “follow” causes they believe in on social media (41 percent vs. 27 percent) and that girls are more likely than boys to say they’ve become more aware of the needs of others as a result of their use of social media (51 percent vs. 38 percent). The study also found high overall levels of social media use: Four out of five USA teenagers surveyed said they used social networks like Facebook.
The study was conducted online in January by Harris Interactive among more than 500 youth ages 13 to 17 years old.
According to the survey, nearly 1 in 4 teens (23%) say they volunteer during their free time. How easy would it be to make that percentage even greater? Consider the answers to these questions:
| How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements? |
Summary of Strongly/ Somewhat Agree (Net) |
| It is more important than ever to help others who are less fortunate. | 90% |
| I wish I could do more to help those in need. | 88% |
| It is important to support charitable causes or organizations symbolically even if you can’t do so financially. | 86% |
| I have become more aware of the needs of others as a result of the current economic climate. | 79% |
| My family has been negatively affected by the current economic climate. | 73% |
| The benefits of using social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter) outweigh the risks. | 66% |
| I have become more aware of the needs of others as a result of my use of social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). | 44% |
When you see just how strongly these young people in this study felt about charity, social responsibility and volunteering – something you can see echoed per the questions from teens on YahooAnswers Community Service – you have to wonder why many nonprofits are doing such a lousy job of reaching out to teens and pre-teens as volunteers and participants! If your organization isn’t getting youth involvement at the numbers you want, or should be, it’s time to look at how your organization is using social media.
World Vision sponsored the study to coincide with its annual 30 Hour Famine, scheduled for February 25-26, in which teenagers fast for 30 hours to raise money for global poverty. The event, which raised $10.4-million dollars last year, has set a goal of $11-million for 2011. World Vision expects 200,000 participants.
Advice for nonprofits, NGOs, charities, civil society, government agencies and others looking to use the Internet to mobilize young people as volunteers and program participants:
Nonprofit Organizations and Online Social Networking: Advice and Commentary
Evaluating Online Activities: Online Action Should Create & Support Offline Action