Charts and Graphs by Label Networks–Humanitarian Youth Culture Profile Report 2008
As the economy continues to crumble, mainstream media continues to report that there’s a “lack of confidence” among the populace for our government and financial institutional leaders as if it’s a “new” thing. Clearly they haven’t been polling youth culture -which of course we already pointed out because most young people under 25 use cell phones solely, therefore skewing polls anyway. But that’s another story (coming next week).

As we reported last week about the power of politicians vs. environmentalists and humanitarian heroes, let us remind you that for a long time now, youth culture has had little faith in our so-called elected officials, instead opting for those who do good on a philanthropic basis rather than those intended to serve the public good that get paid or are elected. Basically, when it comes to youth culture markets of 13-25-year-olds in North America, this DIY generation had already figured out that it’s up to themselves to make a difference. In this story, we take a look at fresh data about top concerns youth culture markets have which reflect just how they think about their situation and where they think change should take place mostly.

When asked “What effects you most in your daily life?” based on a representative sampling of more than 5,000 13-25-year-olds in North America, overwhelmingly, Gas was the #1 top concern. However what’s interesting about this is that many people also expressed that even if they may not drive, Gas was a top concern based on how it’s effecting distribution of food, clothing, and most importantly, how it’s effecting government decisions naming it as a primary reason for war (rather than in the name of Democracy), and a cause of concern for the environment. The chance to express their concerns about their own top daily problems revealed strong statements from thousands that resolving the gas crisis #1 will effect many things across the board, including the health of the environment which is a key issue for this generation.

This was followed by Peer Pressure, which was higher among females at 13% compared with 8.5% of males, then Lack of Jobs and Cost of Education. What should also be noted here is that other top concerns such as Low Minimum Wage, Teen Suicide, Cost of Food, Racism, School Violence, Credit Card Debt, Domestic Violence, Cost of Health and Car Insurance are still key issues among young people across North America. What was quite revealing were the additional comments by many young people naming why such concerns were so important for them to fix, including the lingering challenges and thoughts of School Violence, dealing with their own Domestic Violence situations, and the compassion and understanding they feel about Teen Suicide.

Overall, by knowing key concerns young people feel mostly, brands can create cause-marketing campaigns that work towards a solution in terms of not only attracting youth culture today, but also becoming a part of their lifestyle at a very real, and core level.