When a social entrepreneur decides to take on one of the world’s most pressing problems, what is the motivation behind it? Walden University’s 2012 Social Change Impact Report surveyed more than 8,900 adults in Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Jordan, Mexico, and the United States to identify the reasons for getting involved in social change.
The survey found that people’s motivations varied by country to country:
- Adults in the U.S. and Canada are most likely to say being involved in social change is important because they want to help those less fortunate than themselves (64% each).
- Adults in Brazil and India say social change is important because it makes them feel good (70% and 72%, respectively).
- Adults in China, Germany and Jordan say it is a moral responsibility (80%, 56% and 55%, respectively).
- In Mexico, adults are most likely to say it is because they want to be part of the solution and not just benefit from the actions of others and also because they want to improve life for themselves and their families (64% each).
Though the reasons for social change differ across nations, 80% of adults agree that they can make the world a better place with their actions. In fact, a majority believe that the most important agents of social change are “individual people acting on their own, not organizations or companies”, although individual involvement is believed to be facilitated by groups.
In terms of social change engagement, people are more likely to join digital social change conversations than to start them. Social change also resonates more with women than men.
To read the full report, visit http://www.waldenu.edu/Documents/About-Us/WaldenUniversity2012SocialChangeImpactReportFullReport.pdf