The Power of Certain Social Influencers May Be Limited During Pandemics
Spring 2020
In our first report on this age group's (18-30) behavior related to COVID-19 (coronavirus), we found that the stereotype of young people being led by social influencers to be untrue, at least in the second week of March 2020. Certainly, a few still cling to the importance of followers and likes, but the fact that they turn to traditional news outlets for information tells me the majority understand the seriousness of the situation - for now. Spurred by moments in culture, society and politics during the crisis, we may find a whole new set of influencers such as chefs, musicians, teachers and religious leaders, as noted by the Financial Times.
In the first real week of awareness, this group's support of nonprofits is understandably low - including charitable giving and volunteering. With the initial confusion about what people can and cannot do, most of us have simply been trying to figure out how to handle our own lives: work, childcare, kids suddenly home from college. As we track young Americans' behavior over the next 90 days, we may be in for more surprises, including whether they will maintain their support for local business owners as a lead action taken to help others.
