GENERATION GENEROSITY

Gen Y donates more than 192 million hours of time to Australian charities each year

Generous Gen Ys donate more than 192 million volunteer hours  to charity, worth a staggering $3.1 billionii each year, according to new research by Optus RockCorps released today.

The research uncovers Gen Ys’ attitudes to volunteering and shatters common preconceptions held by older generations. Whilst the Gen Xs and Baby Boomers surveyed view Gen Ys as ‘self-centred’ (63%) and ‘materialistic’ (62%), the reality couldn’t be more different. Two thirds (67%) of Aussies aged 18-34 have undertaken volunteer and community work and almost all (96%) consider it important to actively contribute to society.

In fact, when it comes to volunteering, Aussie Gen Ys are the nation’s most charitable generational group and are more likely to donate their time to helping out worthy causes than their eldersiii.

“Once derided as the ‘me’ generation, this research shows that Gen Y is actually very community minded and active volunteers,” said Next Gen’ expert and social researcher Claire Madden,

“Far from being insular and self-focused, Australians in their 20s and early 30s are charitable with their time, have a strong social conscience and see volunteering as a way to create a better society.”

The research kicks off a nationwide annual study examining youth community initiatives. The Optus Generation We, Not Me report – commissioned by Optus and produced by community thought leader Right Angle Studio – is part of Optus’ long term commitment to support youth and volunteering initiatives, including the Optus RockCorps partnership.

Optus RockCorps is a partnership that rewards volunteer work with tickets to see exclusive, live concerts with some of the world’s biggest musical acts. The programme has experienced phenomenal early success in Australia with 5,000 volunteers dedicating over 20,000 hours of their time in order to secure a ticket the see The Script, Tinie Tempah, Guy Sebastian and The Potbelleez.

David Epstein, Vice President, Corporate and Regulatory Affairs at Optus said, “We believe in the power of youth to make a difference. The Optus Generation We, Not Me report enables us to uncover the positive impact youth volunteering has on our communities, allowing us to support the volunteers of our future.”

Stephen Greene, CEO, RockCorps said, “The survey results definitely support the experience RockCorps has had in Australia to date. We have been overwhelmed at the outpouring of interest in Optus Rockcorps in its first year. Never before in any of our eight markets have we seen young people lining up hours before the volunteering begins in order to chip in. We’ve seen first-hand just how generous young Australians are with their time. We wouldn’t exist without them.”

The research also reveals Australian Gen Ys are not just generous with their time, but also with their personal finances. Almost all (94%) have donated money to charity and one in five (20%) dig deep on a regular basis. And when it comes to their careers it’s more important for Gen Ys to feel like their personal and social values are reflected in the work they do (53%) than climbing the career ladder and earning lots of money (29%).

“Even more than the older generations, Generation Y is focused on the journey of life and not just the financial destination. They want to make a difference and not just climb the career ladder, and that’s why programs like Optus RockCorps are so great. They inspire Gen Ys to get involved with causes that they personally feel passionate about, and once they’ve been involved, many will remain committed in the long term,” concludes Madden.

The Optus RockCorps Collective, now open, celebrates all volunteering activity. Optus is gifting all volunteers who donate four hours of their time to charity with a $70 Ticketmaster music voucher. Budding volunteers can find out more and sign up by visiting the website: www.optusrockcorps.com.au/collective/opportunities

Contact Details:

Fuel Communications

02 8217 6500

i Galaxy Research survey of 1004 Gen Ys (18-34 years olds) and 504 respondents aged 35-67 distributed throughout Australia in July 2013. 192 million volunteering hours figure derived by multiplying the frequency of volunteering by the average number of volunteering hours worked by Gen Y. Results weighted according to Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates.

ii $3.1BN worth of time calculated by weighting the above figures in accordance with the minimum wage

iii 67% of Gen Ys have undertaken volunteer and community work compared with 62% of Gen Xs and 64% of Baby Boomers