Surveys of 10,455 millennials questioned across 36 countries shows increasing doubts whether businesses are really helping society and fewer than a half of the respondents in 2018 said they think companies behave ethically.
The message is clear: Young workers are eager for business leaders to be proactive about making a positive impact in society—and to be responsive to employees’ needs.
When asked whether particular groups were having a positive or negative impact on the world, millennials delivered a harsh assessment of bothpolitical and religious figures. The judgment ofpolitical leaders was particularly brutal, with only 19 percent of younger workers saying they make a positive impact, versus 71 percent negative. Business leaders do much better, with 44 percent positive impact.
That’s why now is the time for business leaders
to prove themselves as agents of positive change. Millennials could hardly be clearer about their priorities and concerns—and about how business’ priorities match up.
Millennials included in the study were born between January 1983 and December 1994 and represent a specific group of this generation—those who have college or university degrees, are employed full time and work predominantly in large, private-sector organisations. Millennials are increasingly taking onsenior positions in which they can influence how theirorganizations address society’s challenges.
This report also includes responses from 1,844 Gen Z respondents in Australia, Canada, China, India, the United Kingdom and the United States. Gen Z respondents were born between January 1995 and December 1999. All are currently studying for or haveobtained a first/higher degree. More than a third areworking either full time (16 percent) or part time (21 percent).