Research concludes that Generation Z is the age group with the highest opinions of companies' corporate social responsibility

Generation Z, or people born between 1997 and 2002, places the most value on a company's commitment to the ethical, social, environmental and labour aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR). That is one of the main conclusions of a study by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), which examines the intergenerational differences in perceptions of the commitment to CSR of the 82 companies that lead Spain's most well-known corporate reputation ranking (Merco).

The study shows that Generation Z has marked a turning point in the perception of companies' CSR compared to previous generations, as there are notable differences compared to the previous generation (Millennials). In addition, it points out that one of the main reasons for this is that Generation Z is the first to have reached adolescence – a key period in the formation of their personality – after the economic crisis of 2008, which marked the end of the real estate boom (1997-2007), and the advent of new social, political and business narratives which have emphasized the importance of sustainability.

Elisenda Estanyol, a researcher in the Learning, Media and Entertainment Research Group (GAME) and the Faculty of Information and Communication Sciences at the UOC, and the researchers Lluís Mas-Manchón and José Fernández-Cavia, of the Communication, Advertising and Society (CAS) research group at the UPF's Department of Communication, and Pablo Van-Bergen (Merco) participated in the study. Their conclusions are included in an open-access article recently published in the journal Profesional de la Información.

An intergenerational survey of more than 5,000 people

The researchers conducted an online survey of 5,087 people (2,550 women and 2,537 men) from all over Spain in October 2021. This survey contained questions assessing the commitment to the various dimensions of CSR (ethical, environmental, social and labour) of Spain's 82 most reputed companies, according to the Merco index. These companies work in a range of sectors including food, insurance, healthcare, the car industry, finance and energy. Each participant was asked about some of the companies in the sample, which were chosen at random. First, they had to answer whether they had heard of the company and, if so, they then rated it from the perspective of CSR. Each person rated a maximum of 12 companies. Finally, only the surveys in which at least eight companies had been rated were included.

Generation Z had less in common with the Millennials than Gen X or boomers

The overall results of the study show that Generation Z gave the highest score (6.44 out of 10) to the four dimensions of CSR (social, ethical, environmental, and working conditions). The generation giving the lowest score (5.99) was the one immediately preceding it, the Millennials, who were born between 1981 and 1996. Between them were Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980) and the boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), who gave average scores of 6.07 and 6.21, respectively.

The fact that Generation Z and the Millennials are the closest to each other in chronological terms, but differ the most in their opinions of CSR is related to the turning point that the 2008 financial crisis represented. The researchers explained that "Millennials represent the culmination of a volatile and speculative, tangible, materialistic market system that exploded in 2008. The last Millennials experienced their adolescence in the good years of the late 1990s and early 2000s, suffered socially from the consequences of the crisis, but were saved from the earthquake. Whereas, Generation Z is the first to have spent their entire adolescence immersed in some kind of crisis (whether economic, political, social or environmental), and is the generation that has been most exposed to the concept of sustainability in public discourse."

Working conditions and work-life balance - the most highly rated

When the results of the study were broken down for each of the four dimensions of CSR, Generation Z gave its highest score (6.84) to working conditions. According to the experts, this is due to the cultural change brought about by the 2008 crisis, as a result of which work-life balance became more important in the public agenda, and among the values of the new generation of the future. "Since then, the issue of work-life balance has been higher on the social and political agenda, and it's a priority for Generation Z, compared to salary or accumulating tangible goods. Whereas, Millennials were still caught up in the whirlwind of working more to earn more," they explained.

Both sexes in generation Z see CSR in the same way

The results of the research not only reflect the cultural change caused by the 2008 crisis, but also the evolution of gender roles between the mid-20th century and the present day. The boomers and Generation X are more strongly influenced by traditional gender roles, in which women are more closely related to care and work in the home, and men to the public sphere. This means that women are more inclined to value the company's commitment to working conditions and work-life balance and its social and environmental commitment than men of the same generation. On the other hand, among the younger generations – Millennials and, in particular, Gen Z – traditional gender roles are not as significant, and the assessment of companies' CSR by younger women and men is similar.

This research with the UOC supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.

Related article

Lluís Mas-Manchón, José Fernández-Cavia, Elisenda Estanyol & Pablo Van-Bergen. (2024). Differences Across Generations in the Perception of the Ethical, Social, Environmental, and Labor Responsibilities of the Most Reputed Spanish Organizations. Profesional de la Información, 33(3). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2024.0302

UOC R&I

The UOC's research and innovation (R&I) is helping overcome pressing challenges faced by global societies in the 21st century by studying interactions between technology and human & social sciences with a specific focus on the network society, e-learning and e-health.

Over 500 researchers and more than 50 research groups work in the UOC's seven faculties, its eLearning Research programme and its two research centres: the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC).

The university also develops online learning innovations at its eLearning Innovation Center (eLinC), as well as UOC community entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer via the Hubbik platform.

Open knowledge and the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development serve as strategic pillars for the UOC's teaching, research and innovation. More information: research.uoc.edu.