How's Your Karma?

95 percent of young adults believe "What goes around comes around"

The Advertising Council, in partnership with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), has launched a series of public service advertisements (PSAs) designed to increase civic engagement among 18- to 24-year-olds. The new PSAs urge young adults to become involved in their communities by voting, volunteering, and becoming informed about current events. The ads promote youth civic engagement by focusing on the idea of "karma." Visit the campaign's Web site, www.GetGoodKarma.org, for tips on getting civically engaged.

The campaign uses humor to communicate to young adults that acting on what is important to them will protect them from having "bad karma," or negative consequences. All of the PSAs end with the tagline "Stay on the universe's good side. Volunteer. Vote. Get involved."

According to FVAP, during the last 25 years there has been a dramatic decrease in voter turnout among 18- to 24-year-olds. In addition, a 2002 report conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement found that 57 percent of American youth aged 15 to 25 are completely disengaged from civic life and politics. Furthermore, adults who began volunteering as youth are twice as likely to volunteer as those who did not volunteer when they were younger, according to a 2001 report from the Independent Sector and Youth Service America.

Created pro bono by Atlanta-based ad agency WestWayne, Inc., the PSAs aim to encourage young adults to become involved in their communities in any way they can, including voting in local elections, volunteering in their spare time, reading the newspaper, and discussing current events with friends. The television, radio, print, outdoor, and Web ads humorously show audiences what happens to people when they are not civically engaged and encourage them to "get good karma."  

A nationwide study among 18- to 24-year-olds conducted by the Ad Council and Lightspeed Research in March 2007 found that 95 percent believe "what goes around comes around" and the vast majority (69 percent) believe in "karma." Additionally, young adults are more likely to attribute the positive experiences in their lives to their positive behaviors (75 percent) as opposed to having "good luck" (56 percent).  

"Our new compelling research reveals that the idea of having good 'karma' is a concept that is not only credible for our target audience, but it can be a motivating factor for civic engagement," according to Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Advertising Council. "We are proud to continue our successful partnership with the Federal Voting Assistance Program to encourage young adults throughout the country to become more involved so they can get good karma."

Polli Brunelli, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program, said, "While voter turnout (among young adults) increased in last year's midterm election, there are still far too many young people in our country who are completely disengaged from civic life and politics. Our new PSAs and interactive Web site aim to encourage and empower 18- to 24-year-olds to become more involved in their communities by volunteering, voting, or just learning more about current events."

Developed by West Wayne, www.GetGoodKarma.org introduces young adults to a new world called "Karmalot," which features activities and mini-games where visitors are rewarded for being civically active. Activities such as volunteering and registering to vote can improve the visitor's "karma score," while points are deducted for inactivity and disengagement.