The public relations industry has been beset by numerous challenges in recent years, with economic uncertainty, increased political polarization and historic technological disruptions such as artificial intelligence causing many to question what role communicators have in today's evolving media landscape.
According to the latest Global Communications Report released by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations, however, perhaps no issue is as divisive as the role that corporate social responsibility currently plays in the industry.
As “wokeness” takes on increasingly radioactive status in the national conversation, many PR pros are now pulling back on advocating companies’ responsibility to address social issues, which itself has become a divisive issue within the PR sector, with opinions on the matter often split along generational lines.
The annual report, which focuses on the trends and changes affecting the global communications landscape, reported that the percentage of PR professionals who believe companies have a responsibility to address social issues has dropped precipitously in recent years, and now stands at 52 percent in 2025, compared to 85 percent last year and 89 percent in 2023.
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| For the last three years, PR pros have been asked if they believe companies have a responsibility to address social issues. During that time, the percentage that answered "yes" has dropped 37 percent. |
A 37 percent decrease in support for corporate social responsibility in three years is big news in its own right, but what’s just as striking is the widening generational gap these current attitudes reveal within the PR sector. According to the report, while three-quarters (75 percent) of Gen Z PR practitioners think companies have a responsibility to advocate for or support social issues even if these issues aren’t directly relevant to their business, only 56 percent of Millennials and 40 percent of Gen X and Boomers agreed. By contrast, 52 percent of Boomers think companies do not have a responsibility to advocate for social issues that aren't relevant to their business, compared to 49 percent of Gen Xers, 35 percent of Millennials and only 18 percent of Gen Z.
Boomers were also more likely to say that financial performance was a top consideration when it comes to working on behalf of a company or organization, while Gen Z practitioners were more likely to cite inclusion initiatives and ESG practices.
The report also discovered that PR pros have an overwhelmingly positive outlook regarding AI's impact on the industry, a sentiment shared by two-thirds (64 percent) of Gen Z practitioners as well as 57 percent of Millennials, 65 percent of Gen X and 62 percent of Boomers. Only a quarter of PR professionals think AI will reduce the number of entry-level positions in the industry, according to USC’s report.
However, younger practitioners were far more likely to have a rosy outlook of AI's positive benefits than older PR pros. Three-quarters (73 percent) of Gen Z thinks AI will make their jobs easier, compared to 63 percent of Millennials, 65 percent of Gen X and 52 percent of Boomers.
Only 35 percent of Gen Z and 33 percent of Millennial PR pros think AI will increase misinformation (compared to 56 percent of Boomers and 47 percent of Gen Xers). Across the board, Gen Z practitioners were also far more likely than older practitioners to think AI will improve the ability to measure PR’s impact, increase crisis response, attract more clients and reduce costs. They are also more likely to believe that AI will be able to generate most of the content currently created by people.
By contrast, while 82 percent of Boomers and 78 percent of Gen Xers think people will remain essential for PR to be effective, only 60 percent of Millennials 52 percent of Gen Zers agreed.
Most PR pros believe that political polarization will continue to pose a problem for the future of the public relations profession, a sentiment shared by 70 percent of Boomer PR respondents as well as 69 percent of Gen X and 52 percent of Millennials. However, only 44 percent of Gen Z practitioners believe this. Older practitioners were also more likely to think misinformation will continue to be a problem for the communications sector over the next five years (72 percent of Boomers and 74 percent of Gen Xers) than younger PR pros (54 percent of Millennials and 46 percent of Gen Z).
A generational divide is also apparent in PR pros’ feelings regarding our ever-changing media landscape, where traditional media sources like television and print have continued to diminish in relevancy while social media, podcasts and smartphone apps gain in popularity. While nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of Gen Zers see this transformation as having a positive effect on the PR sector, 57 percent of Boomers and 53 percent of Gen X think this change hurts the industry. Millennials, meanwhile, are somewhat divided, as 44 percent see this change as having a positive impact while 39 percent see a negative impact.
Nearly half (46 percent) of Gen Z PR pros also think these changes will make their jobs easier, the only generation to feel more positive than negative regarding how our new media landscape will affect their day-to-day work. Gen Z PR pros are also more likely than older generations to think social media will be the primary source of news in the next five years (45 percent) and are also more likely to believe that social media, podcasts, smartphone apps and influencer promotions will continue to be relevant in 2030.
Finally, despite significant disruptions, myriad challenges and generational differences, PR pros remain overwhelmingly positive regarding the future of their profession, with three-quarters (74 percent) of practitioners saying they have a positive outlook on the industry’s future, while only 11 percent reported a negative outlook.
USC Annenberg’s 2025 Global Communication Report, “Mind The Gap,” surveyed more than 1,000 communication professionals online between January and February. The report was produced in collaboration with Zeno Group and the International Association of Business Communicators.
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