New Ypulse Report: Holiday Shopping & Winter Fun

During the 2011 holiday season, retailers rejoiced as customers flocked to stores, spending record amounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Students happily did their part in boosting the economy — they went into the holiday season planning to spend more than they did the prior year. Online shopping saw a particular increase. Students not only shopped more online than they have in the past, but they also planned to spend more online. A key takeaway from this report is that technology is becoming ingrained in students’ shopping habits. They also turned to social media to find deals and to get gift ideas. Many used their mobile phones to shop. Not only did the number that researched store locations and product details increase, but the number of students who made purchases on their phones nearly doubled.

The holiday season is also about family. Collegians are especially happy to have time to spend with their parents and siblings — shopping outings, cooking and baking, and even hanging holiday decorations are all excuses to make the most of family time before they head back to school. Cost: $249.

For more information…visit the Ypulse Research page.

Brands That Kids Think Are Good, Better, Best

What brands are capturing kids’ and tweens’ hearts, time, and purchase power in 2012? What are the drivers of their brand success? How do families make decisions in your category? What is the demographic, psychographic, and lifestyle profile of your core target? What are your biggest opportunities for growth? Smarty Pants’ annual Young Love study has the answers to these questions and more. Conducted online with 7,000 kids, tweens, and parents, Young Love has quickly become the gold standard for measuring brand health and guiding brand growth in the kid and family space. The syndicated study includes key metrics and dozens of attribute ratings on more than 250 brands in the entertainment, food and beverage, apparel, technology, toy, game, and retail categories. From Nike and America Eagle to Nickelodeon and Xbox Kinect, Young Love is rich with learning on brand awareness, love, popularity, usage, usage context and frequency, and most importantly, future usage.

Custom analytics provide insight into your brand within a category and cross-category context. You’ll get the big picture of what’s impacting your business, and you’ll find out what really matters for your brand. Young Love identifies specifically what levers to push to make a real difference in the marketplace. And tracking data is available on most brands. Cost: Syndicated prices start at $1,500; custom analytics start at $8,000.

For more information…visit the website.

Tweens And Teens Dish On Dining

Technomic and C3 are proud to present The Dining Habits of Tweens and Teens, a new study providing an in-depth analysis of the key consumer needs and attitudes that drive the foodservice behaviors of today’s youth. In this report, you’ll learn what motivates them and how best to meet their needs: how tweens and teens differ in their foodservice attitudes and behaviors; how friends and family influence eating habits and how these key influences change as youth grow and mature; how tweens and teens connect with restaurants through branding, and social media and other youth marketing initiatives. You’ll also be able to explore the entrée, side dish, dessert, beverage, and food preparation preferences of tweens and teens, ultimately to leverage demographic and social-psychological insights in order to develop marketing messages and foodservice offerings that better meet the needs of today’s youth. Cost: Contact for information.

For more information…visit the website.

Understanding Generational Differences For Marketing To Millennials

The Millennial generation’s massive size and strong purchasing power, estimated to be $170 billion per year, makes them a valuable segment of the population for marketers to target. But given some of the unique characteristics of this generation, having grown up in the digital and information ages, it is critical that marketers have a clear understanding of this group and how to most effectively reach them through advertising. comScore’s report, Next Generation Strategies For Advertising To Millennials, highlights data from more than 40 years of advertising research and compares the results from the 2011 study on Millennials to past generational studies. Learn the most effective strategies brands can undertake to reach Millennial consumers in the present day, and understand both the challenges and opportunities marketers may face in looking to target this segment. Cost: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

New Ypulse Report — What’s In Your Backpack?

For the most part, students’ bags are their only resource for the day when they leave home, and they pack them to make sure they’ll have all the items they need, from school supplies and technology to entertainment and personal care items. According to this new report from Ypulse, while most students carry the same school bag every day — most commonly a traditional backpack — girls like to mix it up a bit, matching their bags to their outfits. Pencils, pens, and notepads are the most common items found in students’ bags. They also say they’re the most important. Yes, it turns out that the pen is also mightier than the laptop, particularly among high schoolers. Outside technology isn’t often welcomed in the classroom, and as a result, few students carry laptops to school. The Apple logo is emblazoned on most students’ tech devices, from computers to MP3 players to headphones. But not cell phones. While students may want to own an iPhone, for many, the price tag puts it beyond their means. Cost: $249.

For more information…visit the Ypulse research page.

Looking Forward To 2012

With 2012 on the horizon, Youth Macro Trends, Predictions, and Insights offers advice for the coming year as well as revisits a handful of trends and predictions from the previous year to see how they have played out. This report from Youth Trends doesn’t provide an exhaustive list of rather meaningless trends; instead, the main objective is to provide a select number of actionable views that have multiple implications across various industries and product categories. Trends included in this report include: The Gamification of Youth Marketing & Media; Check In & Buy; The Future of m-Commerce; Tablets Everywhere; Moving Towards The Cloud; and more. Cost: $299.

For more information…visit the website.

Behind The Scenes Of The Gamers’ World

PSFK’s Future Of Gaming report presents key trends emerging within the gaming space that brands, non-profits, and communities can leverage to build engagement and motivate their target audience towards achieving a desired goal or outcome. It is designed to inspire anyone tasked with creating compelling user experiences, whether that be on a digital screen, in the real world, or somewhere in between. The report provides a current snapshot into the innovative ways that games are being used within the broader marketplace, examines their expanding role in effecting change on an individual and societal level, and highlights the new technologies that are making these experiences possible. Cost: $150.

For more information…visit the website.

Tech Trends Encourage Online Socialization And Communication

This issue of The Intelligence Group’s Cassandra Report uncovers scores of new developments and promising innovations that stand to capture the hearts and minds of young people…as well as the emerging macro-trends that we believe will resonate for years to come. With the recent growth of video technology and live-stream capability, Gen Yers have unprecedented access to tools for real-time connection and communication. Therefore, they are developing a digital presence that relies on technology to provide immersive, interactive experiences that brings them up close and personal with people, places, and events across the globe. The “Yelpification” of the world means that there is seemingly no area of life that isn’t being evaluated. The same opinionated, networked, and over-sharing generation that produces many of the ratings and reviews is now struggling to find the balance between needing to know everything and knowing too much. Cost: Contact Intelligence Group.

For more information…visit the website.

The Ypulse Report — Automotive

Despite taking them away from their online lives, students still see getting their driver licenses as a rite of passage and a means of gaining freedom from their parents. As high schoolers, they use their new driving privileges to run family errands and shuttle siblings to school or work, but it’s a small price to pay to have a vehicle to drive to and from hanging out with friends. Their car is also a hangout destination in itself; a place to chill with friends, listen to music, relax, and even do homework without distraction. While parents pay for most aspects of high schoolers’ driving — from car payments to insurance to filling up the tank — parents encourage collegians to take on those responsibilities themselves, bit by bit. High schoolers have little autonomy in choosing the vehicle they drive (and many don’t care because they’re just excited to have a car). College students take more initiative in choosing their own car, which they are also more likely to pay for themselves. Cost: $249.

For more information… visit the Ypulse Research page.

Gaming Is Growing Among Very Young Children, Mobile Users

The growth of the kids’ gaming population is far outpacing the growth experienced by the population of 2-17 year olds in the country, according to “Kids and Gaming 2011,” a report from The NPD Group. Since 2009, the population growth of kids ages 2-17 increased 2% in the U.S., while the gaming population of that age group has grown 13%. The vast majority of 2-17 year olds in the U.S. participate in gaming. While the percentage of kids gaming has grown significantly across all age groups, the fastest growth has been among kids ages 2-5. The other segments driving this growth are females and teens ages 15-17. While gaming on most devices has grown for 2-17 year olds, platforms such as mobile devices and computers have experienced the most significant increases in gaming activity. The impressive growth experienced on mobile devices has been driven in large part by the availability of new devices on the market such as tablets, iOS and Android-based smartphones, as well as the abundance of content for these devices in the form of free and paid apps. Cost: Contact NPD Group.

For more information… visit the website.

Tweens’ Grown-Up Digital Behavior

The “Digital Diaries: Digital Maturity” report from AVG reveals that while the average 11 year old isn’t managing a stock portfolio or paying the mortgage online, his or her online activity closely mirrors that of an adult’s in many other respects, specifically regarding the length of time spent on connected mobile devices and overall time spent on social networks and online gaming. Tweens are forced into complex social situations that require adult reasoning — long before they’re ready. Most parents admit that their kids have access to a mainstream social network. Two thirds know their children’s passwords and a similar proportion have access to their children’s computers while they’re not on them. However, this still leaves 40% of parents who are not checking their kids’ online behavior at all. This study also shows that kids are increasingly able to circumvent parental supervision. Cost: Free.

For more information… visit the website.

Millennial Entrepreneurs & The Barriers To Business

The Millennial generation is an entrepreneurial bunch, according to an entrepreneurship study from Young Invincibles. But a few key barriers are holding them back, especially the economy. A majority of Millennials either want to start a business or already have started one. An even higher percentage of young Latinos (64%) and African-Americans (63%) express a desire to start their own companies. Women, on the other hand, are less likely to want to start their own businesses than are men. Despite Millennials’ strong entrepreneurial drive, many are delaying starting a business. The specific barriers they cite include the inability to access capital needed to get a business going, lack of knowledge needed to run a small business, concerns with overcoming current debt burdens, and few mentors from whom they can learn. Cost: Free.

For more information… download the brief.

Teens, Bullying & Social Media Drama-Rama

As social media use has become pervasive in the lives of American teens, a new study finds that 69% of the teenagers who use social networking sites say their peers are mostly kind to one another on such sites. Still, 88% of these teens say they have witnessed people being mean and cruel to another person on the sites, and 15% report that they have been the target of mean or cruel behavior on social network sites. Adult social network users are less likely to say they witness or experience this type of behavior, but they still report that it is prevalent. Cost: Free.

For more information… visit the website.

The Ypulse Report: Back-To-School Shopping

Each summer — and well into fall — students stock up on new clothes, school supplies, electronics, and more to look good and be prepared for the upcoming academic year. This year, students were generally excited about going back to school, but expressed less enthusiasm for back-to-school shopping. They mostly focused on getting the essentials and finding the best deals. The school shopping season is lasting longer each year, with the majority of students not purchasing items until the end of August and continuing shopping well through September. In a commercial staring contest, students know that they can get the best prices if they wait for retailers to blink first. Few students who do school shopping are finished before September begins. Not all students are financially independent when it comes to their school shopping, but they consider themselves the primary decision makers when deciding what to buy. High schoolers usually shop with their parents, who fund the majority of purchases. High schoolers only pay for 24% of purchases. College students are more likely to shop alone, paying for 66% of their back-to-school purchases. Cost: $249.

For more information… visit the Ypulse Research page.

A Look At The Modern Family

Only 4% of families meet the definition of “traditional,” according to Marketing to the Modern Family, a new study with insights about marketing to the family of the future. Among the surprising findings: more than a third of dads feel that they are now acting in the role of a traditional “mom.” From skill set vs. gender roles, to happily married vs. happily unmarried, the study revealed the chief purchasing officer in families is changing. More than two thirds of moms and dads (68%) say kids have influence over what the family purchases. Cost: Contact Edelman.

For more information… visit the website or email modernfamily @ edelman.com.

Mobile Play Entertains Even The Youngest Kids

Mobile devices have quickly gained traction inside households with kids, and are becoming one of the primary platforms for play, according to a new report from PlayScience. “Mobile Playgrounds: Kids, Family, & Mobile Play” reveals that three-quarters of children ages 2-13 have access to smartphones, half have access to an iPod Touch, more than a quarter have access to a table, and a quarter have access to an e-reader. Parent-child co-play on mobile devices is generally happening through single-player games that they pass back and forth, competing to obtain high scores or to reach new levels. Although they enjoy this type of competitive play, parents report they are interested in having more opportunities to play cooperatively with their kids in the future. Cost: Free.

For more information … visit the website.

Millennials Have A Unique Culture

Millennials are is a non-traditional generation: one-third live with relatives, about half receive some sort of financial support from their parents. Millennials are heavy users of social media and non-traditional forms of communications. The Hartman Group’s Culture of Millennials 2011 report gives you an up close and personal look at Millennials, a generation that is transforming the cultural landscape and will have a profound impact on the marketplace in ways not yet imagined. Topic areas explored in this report include: Millennial Lifestyle, a portrait of how Millennials are distinguished from other generations; Culture of Food, an in-depth look at what influences food and beverage choices, consumption habits, and the transition to an adult food identity; Brand Loyalty, exploring the development of trends; Social Media and Sharing, understanding the importance and role of social media in purchase and consumption behavior and learning what are their trusted sources; and more. Cost: Contact Hartman Group.

For more information…visit the website.

Affluent Families’ Spending Is Influenced By Their Children

There are 9.3 million affluent families in the U.S. with children under age 18, and another 4.9 million with grandchildren, giving them significant influence in the youth market, according to the Ipsos Mendelsohn Affluent Survey: Affluent Family Point Of View. From a societal perspective, family is of central importance; from a marketing perspective, there is a convergence of supply and demand; from an ad sales perspective, it offers an expansion of target categories. Most affluent parents say they spend more time with their children than their parents did with them, and the vast majority like to introduce items they liked during childhood to their children. The report includes details on the technology that media affluent families with children own and use, their spending habits, as well as the activities in which they participate. Not surprisingly, affluent families with children spend more than those who don’t have kids. They are in a constant state of acquisition, and their children pull them into new products and categories. Cost: Contact Ipsos Mendelsohn.

For more information…email Donna Sabino at donna.sabino@ipsos.com.

Youth Culture Study Reveals New Subcultures And Marketing Opportunities

Fresh research and analysis released today from Label Networks’ 12th Fall Youth Culture Study reveals where shifts in the youth marketplace and various declines are also creating new opportunities across a range of industries, such as fashion, advertising, technology, sports, electronics, music, entertainment, non-profits, among others, based on new consumer insights among 13-25-year-olds across the United States. The state of the economy has taken its toll on youth culture industries, but at the same time, it’s organically incubated and created veins of new, interlinked subcultures and market opportunities illustrated in our results, and which some brands have tapped into successfully, according to Label Networks. Cost: $3,500.

For more information…visit the website.

The Ypulse Report: Entertainment

Millennials rarely take a break from media now that it is just as mobile as they are. Music is Millennials’ favorite medium; they spend more time with it in a typical week than with any other. They’re turning music discovery into an art form, picking up on tracks played during TV shows, noting mentions on Facebook, and finding artists via Pandora and Spotify. While some download music illegally, most happily pay for music to support the artists they care about. Millennials watch an extraordinary number of movies now that they are so readily available via streaming and make a rapid transition from big screen to small screen. 3D movies are reeling in audiences and breaking box office records, but few students say a film’s availability in 3D affects their interest in seeing it. The TV industry may be poised for a shakeup, thanks to Millennials. College students are spending more time watching cheaper Internet-based alternatives to cable (like Hulu and Netflix). Unlike music, most Millennials say they could live without TV, and some are doing just that by cutting the cable cord, or at least cutting premium cable channels and getting by with basic service. When they do tune in to TV, they prefer ABC Family, Comedy Central, and MTV — each of which has a strong presence on social media and enables them to connect with friends while watching their favorite shows. Cost: $249.

For more information…visit the Ypulse research page.

Online Gaming Audience: Lines Blur As The Market Grows

Users can play games almost anywhere now thanks to social networks, consoles, computers, smartphones, tablets, and mobile phones. But as the gaming space grows, so too does the audience that plays online games. In a recent report, eMarketer explored the world of online gaming and the opportunities it presents for marketers. The report addresses the audiences for each glaming platform, the future of online gaming, players’ perceptions of in-game marketing, and how to connect in-game promotions to your audience. Cost: $695

For more information…visit the website.

Americans And Their Cellphones: Millennials Use Mobile Devices To Avoid Social Situations

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project examines Americans’ cellphone habits, and specifically provides information about adults ages 18-29 and their reliance on mobile devices. Among the findings in this survey is how Millennials regard cellphones as a security blanket; many have trouble completing a task if their phone is not nearby. Additionally, more than a quarter of Millennials use phones to avoid human interaction. They are known to be a social generation, but having grown up surrounded by technology, they may use devices to escape from real-life social situations…at least sometimes. Twenty-somethings even pretend to talk on the phone or text when they don’t want to communicate with those who are physically nearby. They view phones as a reliable source of entertainment, but even the most connected consumers need a break, and turn their phones off — for a short period of time — to get an escape. Cost: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

The Power of Like: How Brands Reach and Influence Fans Through Social Media

comScore and Facebook provide information about the reach and frequency of social media brand impressions — whether that’s content brands post themselves, information re-shared, or social marketing ad units — to help marketers attract a larger audience. Not only should brands pay attention to their fans, but also the friends of those fans, especially as Millennials value their friends’ opinions on social networks. comScore and Facebook offer strategies, information about where Facebook users are spending most of their time, and in turn, insights about where brand messages are reaching consumers. As Facebook and other social networks become increasingly essential for marketing to Millennials, this research provides brands with valuable tools for leveraging their presence online. Cost: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

The Ypulse Report: Food, Beverages & Dining Out

Millennials are big spenders on clothing and technology, but they watch their budgets more than their waistlines when it comes to dining out. In a given month, most students cook for them­selves at home more often than they eat at restaurants. When students eat out, they tend to go to fast and casual places, with fast food restaurants — surprise, surprise — being their favorites. Overall they are spending the same as or a little less than last year when they eat out. Cost and conflicting schedules often prevent Millennials from eating with their friends, but being such a social generation, they readily tell others about their food finds. Although they can’t always eat out with their friends, they still want to give them suggestions or at least let them know what restaurants they go to, which they do by checking in at eateries via social networks. Cost: $249.

For more information…visit the Ypulse research page.

The Social Impact Of Social Networking

The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project examines social networking sites in a survey that explored people’s overall social networks and how use of these technologies is related to trust, tolerance, social support, and community and political engagement. The findings presented paint a rich and complex picture of the role that digital technology plays in people’s social worlds. Wherever possible, we seek to disentangle whether their varying social behaviors and attitudes are related to the different ways they use social networking sites, or to other relevant demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and social class. Cost: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

Millennials Exchange Downtime For Uptime

For this edition of the Cassandra Report, Intelligence Group explored how life is being redefined for the Millennial generation. It looked at young people’s thoughts on the American Dream, their careers, the green movement, status symbols, and their new definition of luxury. The majority of young people are adjusting their expectations in these recessionary times by downsizing and streamlining their lives. It discovered a shift from downtime to “uptime,” or the time young people spend focusing on productive personal pursuits, even when they’re “relaxing.” Their uptime pursuits are giving way to a new group of amateur professionals who have taken a “learn-it-yourself” approach and risen to the same level of expertise and influence as noted experts in various fields, but without the formal training.
In addition, we examined young consumers’ views on tech etiquette, social media, and life-tracking, and how this generation views brand loyalty, among many other trends. Cost: Contact Intelligence Group.

For more information…visit the website.

‘iParents’ Are The New Helicopter Parents

If you’re a parent today, chances are, you’re well aware that your job has grown far beyond making sure homework is completed and everyone gets to school on time. According to Retrevo, today’s parents have Facebook, Twitter, and a whole new world of social tools to consider when it comes to raising their children and even getting some well-deserved socializing in for themselves, and leading the way in most digital activities are iPhone owning parents, or “iParents.” Social tools allow parents to peer into their children’s lives like never before. Cost: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

The Ypulse Report — Fashion & Style

The “youth uniform” may be the same as it’s been for decades — t-shirts and jeans are still their favorite fashion items — but Millennials are putting their stamp on the fashion world in their own way. Most students, regardless of age or gender, feel they have their own personal sense of style. They don’t care about starting or following trends, but simply want to wear what they like. Black and Hispanic students, however, are more likely than their peers to say they are on top of the latest fashions and start trends. They are also more free with their spending; they’re the least likely to set shopping budgets and among the most likely to make impulse purchases. Cost: $249.

For more information…visit the Ypulse research page.

Kids Are Media Multitaskers

Even children as young as ages 3 to 5 use a wide variety of media, according to Ipsos’s latest LMX Family study. At that age, most kids are playing with electronic educational games, playing games on handheld devices, watching TV, and reading books. By ages 6 to 12, they’re spending nearly four hours a day with media. And they’re multitasking, bringing that number up to 5.3 hours a day with media. Their interest in gaming starts early, and by the time they’re tweens, they spend nearly an hour a day playing video games. But TV still accounts for the lion’s share of their media time. Price: Contact Ipsos.

For more information…visit the website.

Getting A Good Night’s Sleep

The National Sleep Foundation’s latest research finds that cell phones are sometimes a sleep disturbance. Some 9% of teens say that they are awakened after they go to bed every night or almost every night by a phone call, text message, or email. Maybe that’s why roughly one in five teens and Gen Yers (19-29 year olds) are sleepy during the day. That can be dangerous. For example, half of Gen Yers have driven while drowsy in the past month, as have 30% of teens. Price: Free.

For more information…visit the website.

Economic Impact On Gen Y Workers

The Millennial generation has graduated or worked through one of the toughest economic periods in recent decades. This study from SBR Consulting aims to determine how this generation feels about working in corporate America, future employment decisions, and what’s important to them about work and their future. Some findings include: seventy percent of Millennials say there is a possibility they will change jobs once the economy improves; more than a third say they do not trust big businesses; and the top three priorities or needs that are most important to this generation are compensation, flexible work schedule, and opportunity to make a difference. Price: Free.

For more information…visit the website to download the white paper.

The Ypulse Report — Spring Break And Employment

As summer nears, students have an eye to the future, lining up jobs and internships for the break. Whereas 70% of college students and 30% of high school students work during the school year, nearly all plan to get a job and/or take classes this summer. Not surprisingly, the type of jobs high school and college students are looking for are quite different. High schoolers want a job to make a little extra money and prefer part-time work so their job doesn’t absorb all of their free time. College students are looking for jobs that will benefit them long-term, such as internships and full-time positions that will help them gain work experience and look good on a resume.

But students aren’t only focused on work. College guys and girls were also planning how to spend their spring break. Relatively few get caught up in the mega beach party scene that the media tends to depict. Rather, they headed home for a little R&R and spent their break catching up with friends, family, and their girlfriend or boyfriend. Nearly a third stayed put, hanging out in their college town. Price: $249.

For more information, visit the Ypulse research page.

Teen Spending Is Rebounding In 2011

Piper Jaffray has completed its 21st semi-annual “Taking Stock With Teens” survey, which indicates a clear bias toward value brands and, with indications of improving employment, the potential for a recovery in fashion discretionary spending. Of particular note, 41 percent of females indicated they were going to spend more on clothing this year compared to last year, the highest percentage since autumn 2008. Beauty trends also improved. In entertainment, there is a rapid shift toward digital video games, including downloads, mobile and online. Teens are playing more online games and intend to shift habits to more digital game playing during the next year. The data suggests that teens share an ongoing preference for food and restaurant brands that successfully blend premium food attributes with value-centric positioning. Teen buying trends in portable devices show the rising popularity of Apple’s iPhone and iPod. Cost: Contact Piper Jaffray.

For more information…read the press release here or visit the Piper Jaffray website.

No One Knows You’re A Tween Online

The latest wave of “Tweens Online” has just been released. Suffice to say, they’re a pretty interesting bunch and apparently a bunch that would prefer not to be left out of the social media game. And it certainly doesn’t take an advanced tween to figure out all they need to do is fib their birth date by a year or two in order to successfully register, which is why so many have Facebook and MySpace accounts. Beyond gaming the social media ecosystem, it’s fair to say you can sum up the online habits of tweens in just one word: gaming. This is quite impressive – nearly nine in ten tweens regularly participate in some sort of online gaming whether it’s casual online play, multi-player online play or console-based online play. Cost: $589.

For more information, visit the Youth Trends website.

Real-Time Data Lets Businesses React Fast

PSFK’s latest report, “The Future Of Real-Time,” is now available. For those organizations whose success is dependent on the ability to quickly recognize and react to situations, the proliferation of rapid access to “good enough” information is proving invaluable. Often, services can leverage the existing infrastructure created around the Internet to provide low-cost access to information in real-time. Through this data democracy, decisions can be made at unparalleled speed. The change we are witnessing is being driven by the growing volume of data produced each day by ordinary people. By releasing information about themselves and their environments that has been captured through mobile phones and other digital platforms, people are acting as human sensor networks. These individual data points, when collectively placed in context, can provide insight into a variety of situations. Social media is another tool that is being used to monitor the well-being of communities. Online buzz around certain subjects can serve as an indicator of group sentiment, providing insights that are relevant offline and pointing to actions that can be taken to remedy problems as they arise. Cost: Free.

For more information, visit the PSFK website.

The Ypulse Report — Social Causes

Involvement in social causes remains high among teens and collegians. Nearly three quarters of students have at least one cause they support or are involved with. They not only donate their time, but also give money. Education and child welfare continue to be the most important causes to high schoolers and collegians. That’s no surprise as the more relevant a cause is to a person’s day-to-day life, the more likely it is to be important to him or her. Activism takes off in one’s college years — collegians are more likely than high schoolers to say causes are important and to be involved with charitable organizations. Black and Hispanic students are also more likely to care about causes. Students believe that corporations and brands should do their part to support causes, and they reward those that do. Cost: $249.

For more information, visit the Ypulse research page

Kids Kicking Back

According to Kids Leisure Time 2011, from NPD Group, the nature of how kids socialize is changing, with face-to-face interaction decreasing as kids get older, being replaced by other forms of socialization such as social networks, cell phone usage, and video chatting. New technology, activities and entertainment options are having a noticeable impact on how kids are spending their leisure time. While kids have the same number of hours to spend on leisure time (which has remained constant since 2007), they have more activities in which to engage, requiring them to reprioritize how they spend their time, leading to shifts in the kids’ leisure time landscape. Cost: N/A

For more information… read the press release here or visit the NPD Group website.

New Brands, DIY Attitudes Take Hold Post-Recession

Fresh research from Label Networks’ Spring Youth Culture Study reveals key findings that leave little doubt that a new generation has come into their own, creating a fresh set of trends within the American youth landscape. “Brand preferences have changed and youth want increased consumer control in terms of entertainment and general DIY lifestyles.” Along with exploring the current influences, preferences, and patterns of 13- to 25-year-olds across North America in the advertising, tech and mobile space, the report offers dedicated sections on t-shirt and denim trends, digital lifestyles, and sports. Cost: $3,500.

For more information… visit Label Networks.

Uncovering The Myths About Millennials’ Optimism And Attitudes

Unmasking Millennials, a global study from The Futures Company, finds that optimism about the future, while true of today’s youthful Millennials, is not a unique, distinguishing generational characteristic but rather the typical enthusiasm of youth. “As Millennials mature from an almost naïve optimism to a more ‘realistic’ point of view…their optimism fades.” This report brings different Millennial segments to life by exploring the range of attitudes and behaviors of Millennials and the ways in which they are growing up and growing apart. These deep dives into Millennial tribes focus on segment-specific profiles and the implications for marketing strategies. Cost: N/A

For more information… visit the Futures Company website.

The Ypulse Report — Technology

We took a deep-dive look at students’ use of technology in January 2011, and found distinct patterns for high schoolers and collegians. Portability is a priority for high schoolers, especially when it comes to video games, but they are more likely to have desktop computers that are hand-me-downs from when the family upgraded to a newer, faster machine. College students get a technology upgrade when they go off to school. Laptops and smartphones are the norm for them. Students of all ages are excited about the iPad and other tablet computers — few have one, but that could change following graduation and holiday gift seasons. Students believe they know more about technology than their parents and their school administrators. And they are quite confident in their knowledge, making them savvy consumers that marketers, advertisers, and retailers need to treat as experts. Cost: $249.

For more information… visit Ypulse research page.