Young North Americans Now An Overview of the Current Continental Youth Landscape

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Young North Americans NowAn Overview of the
Current Continental Youth Landscape

• Presented to CIPS / Microsoft
• Presented by
• Mike Farrell
• Partner and CSO, Youthography / Y Syndicate
• May 2007

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about youthography

• Founded in 1999, Youthography is North America's
  only full service research, strategy, marketing,
  promotion and creative agency dedicated
  exclusively to youth
• Youth market research, strategy and marketing
• Plenty of research (quant and qual)
• We put youth at the epicenter
• Access to over 2.5 million young Canadians
  through partner databases (3 X that in USA and
  EU)
• A lot of marketing
• money where mouth is factor

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company model

• We dont offer one service and do it for everyone
• We do the opposite we do lots of things but for
  one distinct age range (tweens, teens and young
  adults)
• We respond to a market, rather than a product
• And thus put the young North Americans at the
  centre of everything we do
• Also, were immature

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some of our clients
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about youthography

• Working in both the private and public sector
  gives us a realistic perspective on all that
  young North Americans are doing, wanting, needing
• Appropriate for our discussion.

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public? private?

• Now, more than ever, you all need to understand
  that effective marketing efforts (for HR, for
  government, for the NFP sector) have to work like
  successful private efforts
• Your competition for mindshare and transference
  of ideas is Nintendo Wii, Pepsi, Much Music,
  Kanye West, Borat and so on

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a very brief overview of their mindset
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• so
• ARE younger Canadians different than previous
  generations?

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• yes

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some important demographics

• 80 of them come from families with only 1-2
  children at home
• 60 of women work out of home
• 67 of unmarried 20-24-year-olds live at home
• 88 high school completion rate
• 1 in every 2 young people (20-24) attending
  post-secondary school
• More students working part-time and taking longer
  to graduate than previous generation
• Very immigrant-based culture (particularly in
  urban areas Toronto, New York, LA, Montreal,
  Vancouver, Miami)
• 90 have regular access to Internet

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impact

• These demographic factors drive more youth trends
  than anything else
• keep this in mind as we move forward

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psychographics

• There is a prolonged pre-adult life stage
• This is one thing you need to know

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psychographics

• Partially getting into adulthood earlier, but
  fully getting into adulthood later than ever
• Average age of educational enrollment
• Average age of 1st menstruation 11
• Average age of 1st cigarette 13
• Average age of 1st intercourse
• Average age at graduation 26 (median 23)
• Average age of 1st marriage 29
• Average age of 1st childbirth 29

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psychographics

• Compare those numbers to 20-years ago
• Average age of educational enrollment
• Average age of 1st menstruation 12
• Average age of 1st cigarette 13
• Average age of 1st intercourse
• Average age at graduation 24 (median 22)
• Average age of 1st marriage 25
• Average age of 1st childbirth 26

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psychographics

• Think about this how old is someone who is
  on-line all the time, likes movies, has a cell
  phone and texts with it, is in school but working
  part-time, sort of knows what they want to do
  with their life, is unmarried, childless, drinks
  beer, has sex, lives at home, and smokes a bit of
  dope on some weekends?
• Are they 15 or 25?

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psychographics
Are they 15 or 25?
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demographics ? psychographics

• Fewer siblings at home reliance on friends
• Single parent households greater self-reliance
• Staying longer at home / in school longer
  pre-adult stage
• Immigration colour blindness and diversity
• Internet access tons of information, more
  universal cultural context, less rural vs. urban
  divide

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other psychographics

• Psychographic trending with youth in North
  America continues to show a group that puts high
  priority on
• Responsibility (to self and society)
• Balance
• Individuality
• Pragmatism
• This is one thing you need to know

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other psychographics
Simply rate each of the following concepts, ideas
or values in terms of their importance to YOUR
LIFE
n1480 Ping Quarterly National Study / Spring
2006 / 13-29 year olds n1693 Ping US National
Study / Fall 2006 / 14-29 year olds
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other psychographics
Simply rate each of the following concepts, ideas
or values in terms of their importance to YOUR
LIFE
n1480 Ping Quarterly National Study / Spring
2006 / 13-29 year olds n1693 Ping US National
Study / Fall 2006 / 14-29 year olds
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translation?

• Young North Americans are
• Increasingly self-reliant
• Increasingly independent and expressive
• Increasingly culturally aware
• Increasingly media aware
• Increasingly pragmatic

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what they value

• Communication
• Relationships
• Information
• Diversity
• Empowerment
• And what sews it all togetherTechnology

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technology ownership
n1605, Canadian youth 9-29, Ping national
survey, August 2005 n1962, American youth 9-29,
Ping US national survey, Fall 06
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technology ownership

• Young North Americans are extremely
  technology-enabled
• Their tech ownership acts as a potent window into
  media opportunities and new communication vectors
• It also gives us a window into how important
  communication is to them
• All of this is currently in a state of almost
  perpetual transition

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media in transitionculture in transition
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media in transition

• There has never been such a huge shift in media
  habits as over the past decade
• This is the one thing you need to know

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media in transition

• Media exposure in an average day for youth

bathroom stalls
movie theatres
radio
internet
bus stop
school
magazines
public transit
mall
newspaper
billboards
TV
wild postings
video games
SMS
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time spent with media
n1417, Canadian Youth 9-29, Ping national
survey, October 2005 n1962, American youth 9-29,
Ping US national survey, Fall 06
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unprecedented!

• Incredible media saturation
• Remarkable media literacy
• Always known a multi channel universe
• Had the Net as long as its mattered
• More advertising than ever before
• More sources of communication than ever

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media in transition

• We need to look at advertising and culture in
  aggregate
• as there has never been such a huge shift in
  media habits as over the past decade
• This is the one thing you need to know

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media the 3 Cs

• Change constant, regular change in forms of
  media from rampant technological change
• Charge consumers are in charge of when and how
  they interact with media
• Challenge consumers challenge the traditional
  top-down model of cultural creation

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1. change

• Then (1980-1996)
• CDs, VHS, 30 Channels little change in
  technology
• HMV, movie theatres, broadcast radio traditional
  models of consuming culture
• Then to Now (1996-2006)
• CD to MP3, DVD, Gaming Consoles, All-in-ones
• Complete reversal in way culture is distributed
• Now
• Huge speed of change is regular
• On-demand culture, with one device to rule them
  all

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technology in transition
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2002
2004
2005
2005
2006
2006
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2. charge

• Then (1980-1996)
• TV, Movies, Music someone elses schedule,
  delivery devices, w/ little variety little
  personal control, choice
• You have to watch commercials, be home at a
  certain time, use limited radio formats, go to a
  store, etc.
• Then to Now (1996-2006)
• Internet and digital culture changes everything
• Culture-on-demand!
• Now
• Seemingly infinite choice of what to consume,
  when, how
• Control shifting from creators to consumers

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3. challenge

• Then (1980-1996)
• Everything is top-down
• Corporate machine creates culture youth absorb
  it
• Then to Now (1996-2006)
• The Street starts to drive and dictate trends
• Coolhunters and tipping points
• Now
• Young people either directly create culture
• or set trends that the corporate world
  replicates
• First seen in fashion (as always) moved to music,
  film and television, marketing and on-line

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and they adopt it quickly

• Cultural Creation
• MySpace
• YouTube
• GarageBand
• Indie Movies
• Home-made TV, Movies
• Blogging
• SNL Digital Shorts
• Andy Milonakis
• wikipedia

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3. challenge

• And theyre not just challenging content creation
  and delivery methods...
• The power they increasingly command via their
  PVR, iPod and cheap digicams is making them
  increasingly challenge ALL top-down models
• Corporate structure, government, organized
  religion, traditional cultural milestones are all
  under the magnifying glass now
• and seen as symbolic totems from another era to
  many youth and young adults

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transition
n 1480 Ping Quarterly National Study / Spring
2006 / 13-29 year olds n 1693, American youth
14-29, Ping US national survey, Fall 06
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so what does this mean?
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they ARE a different generation

• Changing culture as we speak
• Incredibly
• well-informed
• connected
• empowered
• open to new ideas
• open to creating new solutions

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In Control of Technology
In Control of the Culture
In Control as Consumers
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impact on human resources

• You have to rethink the way you recruit and
  retain them

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impact on IT studies and human resources

• Are you even on their radar?
• What is your presence in the secondary world? Is
  it stand-out or simply just there?
• Are your PR or communication campaigns employing
  the right media mix?
• Healthy mix of mass and grass

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impact on IT studies and human resources

• ? Whats the perception of your industry?
• Look to pop culture for cues
• Since they have not developed transferable skills
  they will feel stuck in an industry
• You need to show them the transferable skills
  learned as well as an identifiable path to
  internal advancement

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impact on IT studies and human resources

• ? Whats the perception of your industry?
• Think of your industry as a brand young people
  sure do
• Understand that corporate social responsibility
  is increasingly a key brand criteria
  (environment and working conditions)

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in fact

• In a recent survey of 1,393 Canadians (aged
  1329) Youthography found that when asked how
  long they intended to stay in their current jobs,
  more than 80 per cent said they expected to be
  "outta here" within two years.
• Only 4 per cent reported that they had no plans
  to leave their current employers.

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impact on IT studies and human resources

• ? What will help to make them stay?
• Flexibility
• Skills development (over security)
• Fair compensation
• Fun atmosphere
• Incentives / benefits (that fit their world)
• Respect

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impact on IT studies and human resources

• ? Skills development is HUGE!
• Want a diversity of experiences focusing on
  stability but increasing emphasis on new skills,
  new knowledge
• Expect to be working at a whole range of jobs
• Many have aspirations for owning own business (a
  good third want that right away!)

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Young Canadians, Technology and the IT
IndustryA Topline Review
Presented to CIPS / Microsoft Presented
by Carolyn Peters Quantitative Supervisor,
Youthography May 2007
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Background of Study

• The discussion will be based on the results of a
  survey Youthography fielded in order to
  understand of Canadian students IT perceptions
  and attitudes as well as understand more about IT
  in the education system
• The survey on connections and experiences with
  technology was answered by 11th and 12th grade or
  Cégep students and 1st and 2nd year university or
  college students across Canada
• The questionnaire was split into four sections
  first, a look at the students perceptions of
  technology second, a look at technology in
  society third, a look at technology in careers
  and finally a look at technology in their
  education system
• The final sample consisted of 1002 Canadians,
  with 559 females and 443 males
• The students reflected Canadian census regional
  representation

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What are students perspectives on technology?
Most students think it is cooler to be in the
know about topics like music, movies, sports and
fashion than technology, but understanding the
latest in technology and surfing the Net top the
list in the tech realm Males and secondary
school students are more inclined to think being
smart about technology is cool. They also are
more likely to say that my friends think Im
cool when they talk about technology

• Overall, students are more interested in simply
  using computer applications than performing
  programming activities
• Males are the most avid programmers

Nearly ¾ of all students say that they have a
positive to very positive relationship with
technology IT rocks their world
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What are students doing on computers?

• Computers are integral to a students life
• Almost all Canadian students are doing their
  homework and research on the Internet, and they
  rely on their computer for communicating as well
  as listening to music
• Over two-thirds of all students also use
  computers for entertainment, downloads, news, and
  playing games
• There are some clear gender differences in
  computer usage males are more into gaming and
  entertainment whereas females are into
  communicating and information seeking

Males vs. Females
Playing games Watching DVDs Building websites or
games Software programming
Job searching Internet blogging
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Web 2.0
Students are very aware that we are entering Web
2.0 though only 21 are aware of this term, 82
agreed that this is the new era of the Internet
when provided with a description.

• Canadian youth are fully entrenched in the Web
  2.0
• 93 of 14 to 29 year olds have watched YouTube in
  the past month
• - Notice the explosion of Facebook since it
  opened to the public

About a third of Canadian students report having
their own blog this new trend has been adopted
mainly by females and those in Ontario or Western
Canada Those who have their own blog currently
have more than just one
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Perceptions of Education

• Do students feel they are receiving a
  comprehensive and adequate education overall?

• Areas for improvement
• Funding
• Quality of teachers
• Curriculum
• Technology resources
• Class sizes

Female students were twice as satisfied with
technological resources as male students
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Perceptions of school and teachers
Secondary students especially dont feel that
their school keeps them up to date nor feel
encouraged to develop technological / computer
skills Less than half of secondary school
students rated their school as good or excellent
at bringing in new and diverse technology
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Importance of Technology and Computers
The majority of Canadian students recognize the
importance of technology and computers in their
everyday life, career and especially their
education
Almost 92 of all students say that having
experience in technology / computers is
somewhat to very important in contributing to
their career success
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Technology in Education

• Do students feel they are receiving a
  comprehensive and adequate education in computers
  and technology in the following areas?

• Areas for improvement
• Online access to course materials
• More computers
• Wireless access
• Software
• Added hardware

26 of students interested in a career in IT feel
online access is where schools can improve the
most vs. 20 of non-IT interested students
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Technology in Education Non-computer classes

• Where are secondary students using computers /
  technology in other courses?

Students are making use of computers mostly in
the area of writing papers and researching online
Students spend the most time on the computer
when at home (vs. school or work)
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Technology Education

• Where are students most learning how to use
  computers / technology?

Students are not learning about computers and
technology at school they are learning on their
own or through friends and family
Male students have more of a tendency to learn
on their own than female students
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Technology in Careers

• While technology and computers are not top career
  choices for most students, it is not an option
  that is completely ruled out
• 27 said that a tech career was a viable option,
  with 40 of males saying it was an option
• 44 of all students said maybe - that an IT
  career might be an option

Though tech / computers is not the top choice
for most students, most of the top career choices
require knowledge and or expertise in technology
and computers (i.e. management and medical/health)
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Importance of Technology in Different Careers

• The top 3 careers that students felt required
  technology to play a large role were computers,
  engineering and media

While business, health care and entertainment
did not make the top 5 in terms of importance of
technology, over 80 of students still felt that
the role technology was important or very
important to those careers
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IT Career Interest

• While the vast majority of students felt that a
  career in IT would be somewhat or very rewarding,
  41 said they would actually consider it
• Just 29 of female students are considering a
  career in technology or computers vs. 56 of
  males
• The biggest draw for students is love of
  technology and interesting work

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Why Not a Career In IT?

• So why not a career in IT or computers?
• Almost a third of respondents feel it would be
  boring, while another 23 do not know anything
  about IT careers.
• Difficulty or pay are not big reasons for not
  being interested.
• Male students are also more likely to cite pay
  and job market than female students

Female students are much more likely to not know
about careers in IT or computers than male
students
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Women and Technology

• Women understand the importance of technology in
  their everyday lives and in their future careers
• They may not want to specialize in a computer or
  IT career, but they embrace technology and it is
  a part of their lives
• Communication, entertainment, research
• Although women may not want to enter into careers
  in IT they still feel computers and technology
  have an important role in their lives and careers

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IT or Computer Courses for Another Career

• Over a third of students who are not interested
  in an IT career would take a computer related
  course to help them another career
• Technology and computers are highly valued among
  most career choices and students expect their
  employers to keep up to date with latest
  technology
• The top 3 areas of where students felt computer
  skills would be beneficial basic Office
  software, mobile technology and video/multi-media

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Student Perceptions of Tech Industry

• Almost half of all students feel that the
  technology or IT industry is a leader in
  innovation

Males vs. Females

• Most males felt that technology or IT led the
  pack
• those that did not were most likely to find that
  biotech/energy was the field that led in
  innovation

Female students who did not think technology or
IT led in innovation thought that the
Health/Medical field led the pack
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Synopsis

• The incredibly technology-infused culture and
  mediasphere of young Canadians is NOT being
  commensurately reflected in desires to continue
  on in the IT industry proper

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Synopsis

• Three key areas to focus in on include
• Increasing the role that secondary education can
  play as advocates of the industry (right now,
  its simply not up to snuff as a source of
  technology advances information and passion for
  the industry)
• Females are particularly isolated in this regard
  (there could be a bit of a gender stigma still to
  deal with, though we see that changing
  culturally)
• Industry needs to act like a brand and strive to
  be relevant and resonant (right now stigmas
  continue to dog it in particular, its seen as
  boring and there is a diminished sense of
  opportunity overall)

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Discussion