society


​The Size of the Movement​
  • ​28% of the United States workforce is purpose-driven (Imperative / NYU, 2016)
  • 35% of adults (80 million) in the United States are Cultural Creatives, people whose careers and lifestyles extend outside of themselves to benefit purposeful goals (sustainability, personal growth, diversity, peace, equality), up 175% from 1995 (Ray, 2010)
  • 47% of college students are purpose-oriented (LinkedIn/Imperative, 2016)
  • 83% of American employees identity finding meaning in day-to-day work as a top priority (PWC, 2016)
  • 96% of American employees believe fulfillment at work is possible (PWC/Imperative/CECP, 2018)
  • 97% of Americans believe that having a sense of purpose is important (Rainey, 2014)
  • 500% increase in the public conversation about purpose between 1995 and 2014 (EY / Said, 2018) 
Character + Virtue
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in wisdom, transcendence, curiosity and temperance (UC Santa Barbara, 2019)
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in gratitude, compassion and grit (Stanford, 2017)
  • Purpose is correlated with generativity, personal growth and integrity (Notre Dame, 2010)
  • Purpose is correlated with a 4x increase in desire to live in a racially diverse city (Harvard / Cornell / Carelton, 2014)
  • Purpose is correlated with 4x decrease in anxiety in diverse environments (Cornell / Carelton, 2013)
  • Purpose can help police to stop shooting unarmed suspects (Wyoming, 2024)
  • Writing about important values increases other-centeredness and reduces defensiveness (Michigan, 2008)
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in philanthropy and volunteering by 50% (Gallup/Healthways, 2013)
  • Purpose enhances reflection on past and future, increasing consideration of impact on others (Florida State, 2012)
  • Purpose is correlated with forgiveness and post-traumatic growth (Fielding, 2022)
  • Purpose is correlated with extroversion, conscientiousness, openness to experience, and agreeableness and negatively correlated with neuroticism (U of Lisbon, 2023)

Education
  • Meaning in life is associated with a higher level of connectedness to parents, school, peers, and teachers, and academic self-efficacy (study skills, time management, critical and creative thinking, and involvement in learning) and personal self-efficacy dimensions (positive self-concept, problem-solving, self-management, and self-reflection) (University of Hong Kong, 2020)
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in GPA (JPsyBeSci, 2023, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2014)
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in college graduation rates by 6-9% (UNC Greensboro, 2017)
  • Purpose is correlated with an increase in the appetite for education (Stanford, 2015)
  • 31% of college students want to replace majors with purposes (LinkedIn/Imperative, 2016)

Healthcare
  • Purpose is correlated with 32% fewer doctor visits and 61% fewer overnights in the hospital per year, when compared to those with the lowest purpose scores (Harvard, 2014)
  • Purpose is correlated with preventive care: 121% increase in flu shots, a 228% increase in cholesterol tests, a 133% increase in colonoscopies, a 330% increase in mammograms, a 210% increase in pap smears, a 386% increase in prostate exams  (Harvard, 2015)​