Mind the Gap
The 2025 Global Communication Report reviews four key trends impacting the public relations industry, and reveals gaps among the four working generations. It reveals generational differences in attitudes toward AI, corporate purpose, the workplace, and the future of media. Here are some key insights:
- Despite economic, political, and technological upheavals, 74% of PR professionals hold a positive outlook toward the future of the industry. This optimism is shared across all four generations.
- 60% of PR professionals say AI will positively impact the industry — but 40% also predict it will lead to increased misinformation over the next five years.
- While 24% of Gen Z practitioners strongly agree that AI will generate most content currently created by humans, one in four also predicts that there will be fewer entry-level positions available for them. Overall, 44% of respondents anticipate that staffing will be reduced due to AI.
- Communicators believe humans will remain essential to the PR function: Eight out of ten Boomers (82%) and Gen Xers (78%) strongly agree about the essential role humans will play in the future of PR, while Gen Z (52%) and Millennials (60%) are less certain.
- 72% of Gen Z respondents believe that hybrid and remote work will make their jobs easier, compared to just 39% of Boomers. On average, PR professionals report spending 2.84 days per week in the office, with the remainder of the week working remotely.
- Over one-third of PR professionals would accept a pay cut to work remotely.
- More Gen Z practitioners (27%) believe press releases will remain relevant in five years compared to their older colleagues. However, they also think paid advertising (44%), along with social media (65%) and influencer promotions (44%), will be the most relevant types of media channels, which are higher than the other three age groups surveyed.
- Overall, 53% of PR professionals say social media will be the dominant channel for PR by 2030, while traditional media like print (13%) and cable news (11%) continue to lose relevance.
- Gen X is the most positive about podcast interviews (61%) being one of the most effective tactics for achieving a campaign’s objectives.
- The report reveals a significant drop in PR professionals who believe companies have the responsibility to address social issues — from 89% in 2023 to 85% in 2024 and 52% in 2025. Analyzing the data by generation shows that younger communicators are still serious about corporate purpose (76% of Gen Z agree companies have this responsibility), while older professionals are losing their conviction (only 40% of Boomers and 40% of Gen Xers agreed).
- Older generations are more likely to view the character of leadership as the most important criterion when deciding whether to represent or work for a company — 86% of Boomers and 81% of Gen X noted this, compared to only 58% of Millennials and 54% of Gen Z.
- Each generation believes that they are the best informed about political, social and current events.
IABC Members, log in to your account for access to the full report! Nonmembers, fill out the form below to receive the report in your inbox.