Opportunity for charities if they better engage with older supporters on social media
Melanie May | 20 August 2024 | News
While many Baby Boomers use social media daily, few currently share causes online, meaning there’s an opportunity for charities if they can better engage older supporters through these channels, data from strategy agency Eden Stanley suggests.
Surveying 3,000 UK adults online, Eden Stanley found that 30% of the UK population post about causes online, but that engagement varies by age. GenZ, aged 18 to 27, and Millennials (28 to 44), are the most likely to do this at 44% and 43% respectively. This compares with just 14% of Baby Boomers (60-78), despite the fact that almost half (47%) of this older group uses social media most if not every day.
Why people share
What drives people to share their views also correlates with age. Over half (52%) of all those who report posting about social causes do so to raise awareness. Among Baby Boomers, this figure rises to 65%.
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Encouraging political change is a priority for GenZ with 32% of those who post reporting a political motivation, six percentage points above the UK average. The greatest impetus for Millennials who share their views online is to convey their values and beliefs (46%: six percentage points higher than the national average).
Generational views on social media
Eden Stanley’s research found that these younger groups are particularly optimistic about the positive impact social media allows them to have as individuals – almost a third of UK Millennials (29%) and GenZ (30%) share their views about good causes online and believe it “can make a real difference”, compared with 9% of Baby Boomers.
Older generations are also more concerned about the accuracy of what they post. 51% of Baby Boomers who share views about causes on social media strongly agree they have to be sure of the accuracy of content before posting. This is compared with 33% and 34% of Gen Z and Millennials, respectively.
Opportunity to reach wider audiences & impact public policy
Joe Barrell, Founder and Principal of Eden Stanley, said:
“Few people will be surprised that GenZ and Millennials are the groups most likely to take to social media to share their views on important issues. And while they’re often criticised for being glued to their screens, in today’s turbulent world with many feeling powerless to help tackle society’s biggest challenges, online channels are clearly offering young people a sense of agency to effect change.
“However, there’s a big opportunity here for charities on the other end of the age spectrum – more than seven million Baby Boomers are using online channels most days, yet only 14% of them are sharing causes. If nonprofits can better engage older supporters on social media, there’s huge potential to spread the message to a wider audience and, given this demographic’s political sway, have a greater impact on public policy too. Getting there requires identifying how best to speak to, engage and mobilise different groups of supporters, and this relies on understanding what really motivates people to act.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.