Raising Public Awareness Campaign Guide. How to Increase Voting Among the Youth?

Few people enjoy being told what to think and do, especially young adults from Generation Z (born between the late 1990s and early 2010s). As they approached the 2023 elections in Poland, they began to consciously translate their worldview into the language of politics. The campaign was focused on individuals who had just gained the right to vote (18-21 years old).

This is just a short version of the Case Study. We have compiled our observations and learnings from the campaign into an ebook titled “How to Build Social Campaigns.” Download it now for free:

An awareness campaign is a PR, social media or ad campaign (or everything combined, preferably!) that aims to educate customers on a given issue to increase public awareness of a particular cause.

Let’s learn about it from a real example:

The campaign in short:

• Client: Clean Air Fund
• Area: Poland
• Lead team: Profeina
• Timing: June-October 2023

On October 15th 2023, Poland witnessed a surprising electoral turnout with nearly three-quarters of eligible voters casting their ballots. This remarkable participation was particularly notable among young voters aged 18-29, whose turnout surged from 46% in 2019 to 71% in 2023.

A study conducted by the Batory Foundation highlighted the impact of vigorous get-out-the-vote campaigns, with 78% of respondents citing these efforts as a highly motivating factor in their decision to vote.

In response to this momentum, Polish PR Agency Profeina in collaboration with Clean Air Fund and the research group Lata Dwudzieste, launched a targeted campaign focusing on first-time voters. The goal was to bridge the gap between young voters’ environmental concerns and the candidates’ agendas.

Innovative Research

the campaign was initiated with the release of the ‘Debutants ’23’ report (available only in Polish), which offered a fresh perspective by focusing on first-time voters. This comprehensive study, combining qualitative and quantitative research, provided crucial insights into the priorities of young Poles. The report was fresh and modern, e.g. containing a Spotify playlist of what this group listens to.

Building Narratives

A balanced narrative was crafted around the complex results of the study, enhancing its impact through strategic media engagements and an adaptive online presence, including a new Instagram profile @debiutanci23 to engage more directly with the youth.

Finding allies

Could the report’s creators, primarily millennials -though having a professional study on the subject – be seen as a credible voice when discussing the youth? This was effectively addressed by collaborating with non-governmental organizations and environmental movements, predominantly led by young individuals, to promote the report’s results and findings.

Empowering the Youth

The campaign empowered young voters by aligning their environmental concerns with political agendas through the Youth Compass – an innovative tool that aligned voters’ preferences with party views on clean air and environmental protection.

In-person panels

The report also served as inspiration for three pre-election debates, enabling moderators to ask questions related to green issues important to young voters that were not typically addressed in other debates.

• Media Reach: Our efforts resulted in over 280 publications, reaching more than 27.5 million people.
• Engagement: The campaign website attracted 33,500 visitors, with 2,000 downloading the full report and 40,000 using the Youth Compass to guide their voting decisions.
• Debates and Dialogues: Three debates and multiple interviews were faciliated, focusing on clean air and environmental policies, which significantly shaped the public discourse.