20% of Young People Have Made a Charitable Donation to Address Inequality, Survey Shows

Twenty percent of young people have made a donation to address racial inquality, discrimination, or social injustice, according to a survey conducted around the time protests were breaking out nationwide over the death of George Floyd.

That figure was the same for both whites and other groups, according to a report produced by Cause and Social Influence, which conducted the study of 18- to 30-year-olds. The organization produces research on how young Americans engage with social issues and movements.

That 20 percent rate of giving is roughly double what the research group has found in other surveys in recent years.

The survey charted some wide disparities in attitudes and engagement between whites and African Americans. The survey also broke out results by “non-Black people of color,” whose responses in most cases were similar to those of African Americans.Other findings include:

• 72 percent of African Americans believe that rallies, petitions, and other actions taken to address racial inequality, discrimination, and social injustice will be effective, compared with 58 percent of whites.
• 25 percent of African Americans had participated in marches or rallies, compared with 15 percent of whites.

• 44 percent of African Americans had signed an online petition, compared with 34 percent of whites.
• 44 percent of non-Black people of color had signed a petition shared on social media, compared with 36 percent of African Americans and 34 percent of whites.

The results are based on survey responses from 1,076 people. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, according to the study. The survey was conducted June 8 and asked about the two weeks prior to that date, which included the initial report of the death of George Floyd, and subsequent protests.