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The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll
Hello from NYC.
One Interesting Number: 73. Three-quarters (73%) of American investors told us they are (or might) take on higher risk strategies because they feel financially behind. Just half (50%) feel financially secure today.
Is TikTok Losing Its Juice?
While TikTok still has Gen Z’s attention, its attraction is fading in our latest polling and analysis, which is also featured in Fortune.
- What we found: Three-quarters (73%) of Gen Z TikTok active users say the content today feels staged and performative, and over half (53%) feel it’s censored.
- The stat you can’t ignore: Most (79%) say they miss TikTok’s early days, aka just back in 2020.
- What to consider: Another crack arises when a third (33%) say they consciously train the algorithm to reach the content they want. That’s not scrolling, that’s labor.
What this means: “This isn’t vague dissatisfaction. This is active, awake skepticism from the most marketing-savvy generation alive,” says our CSO Libby Rodney. “And here’s where it gets interesting. When something that was effortless suddenly requires effort, people pause. They look up. They look around. And in that pause lives a question that TikTok’s frictionless design was specifically built to prevent: “Is this actually how I want to be spending my time?”
AI Makes English Essential to Today’s Workforce
English proficiency is now seen as essential to business performance, according to our study with ETS of 1.3k+ HR decision-makers across 17 countries.
- What we found: Most employers (90%) say English skills are critical to their organization’s success, and more important today than five years ago (92%).
- The stat you can’t ignore: 81% of employers say integrating AI tools increases the need for workplace English proficiency.
- What to consider: While AI is transforming how work gets done, employers say it doesn’t replace the need for human communication. Nearly 60% say AI cannot compensate for weak English skills.
What this means: As organizations expand globally and integrate AI into everyday workflows, communication is less of a supporting function and more of the infrastructure that enables modern work. English proficiency is no longer viewed as a soft skill, but as a core capability.
Hispanic Voters Are Focused On The Issues
The old playbook of identity politics is short-sighted today. A TelevisaUnivision-Harris Poll report featured in Axios reveals a major disconnect between elected leaders and Hispanic voters, who expect them to vote along traditional party lines.
- What we found: Inflation and cost of living are the top concerns this election year for Texas Hispanics.
- The stat you can’t ignore: Eight in 10 Hispanic voters in Texas say politicians take them for granted—and four in 10 are more likely to support candidates who communicate with them in Spanish. (Take that story #2!)
- What to consider: “If you think you’re reaching Hispanics with the message you have on English-language TV for the broad-based audience, you’re missing the point,” said Daniel Alegre, CEO of TelevisaUnivision.
What this means: Hispanic voters are focused on the issues, not the party. Republicans have been making gains among Latino voters in recent elections, though Hispanics’ turnout Tuesday in Texas was widely seen as an indication that economic concerns have given Democrats a shot at recapturing support in November’s elections, writes Axios’ Margaret Talev.
