It’s Not Just You — Generational Divides Are Impacting PR and Comms
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Artificial intelligence, hybrid work, an evolving media landscape, and continued political polarization — as these areas continue to shape the future of work, PR and communications professionals across four generations are learning just how different their attitudes may be.
The 2025 Global Communication Report, “Mind The Gap,” released by the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations in collaboration with Zeno Group and IABC, examines how PR professionals, from Gen Z to Baby Boomers, perceive these changes and their influence on the profession.
Notable from the report are findings that raise the need for greater cross-generational collaboration, with a few bright spots in between.
- AI is a double-edged sword. Two-thirds of Gen Z PR professionals believe that AI will positively impact the industry, while one-fourth predict it will reduce entry-level positions available to them. Across generations, 40% predict it will lead to increased misinformation over the next five years.
- Work from home (WFH) is an expectation. Nearly 75% of Gen Z say hybrid and remote work make their jobs easier, compared to almost 40% of Boomers. How committed is Gen Z to this principle? Nearly half would accept less pay in exchange for greater flexibility, almost twice that of Gen X at 25%.
- Conviction toward social issues is breaking across generations. The overall percentage of PR professionals who believe companies must address social issues has dropped notably, from 89% in 2023 to 52% in 2025. Creating another gap, 76% of Gen Z communicators share this expectation, compared to only 40% of Boomers and Gen Xers, who appear to be losing their convictions.
- Celebrity credibility holds strong for some. Gen Z and Millennial consumer product marketers prefer an endorsement from a celebrity like Taylor Swift over a positive consumer article in a national newspaper like The New York Times.
- Agree to disagree? Every generation believes they’re the best informed. If each cohort thinks they know more about political, social, and current events than the others, it will be tough to collaborate across generations.
- Optimism is a shared value. Despite all these economic, political and technological upheavals, 74% of PR professionals hold a positive outlook on the industry’s future. This optimism is seen across all four generations.
“The future of the PR industry depends upon how tomorrow’s leaders tackle the critical issues we are beginning to face today,” says Fred Cook, director of the USC Center for Public Relations and chairman emeritus, Golin. “Not bound by tradition, Gen Z seems equipped and eager to confront those challenges. If we educate and support them on this mission, our profession will be in good hands.”
“While the concept of a generational divide in the workplace is not new, findings from this report acutely show how differently each cohort approaches work,” says Peter Finn, executive director of IABC. “With half of respondents coming from outside the U.S., these trends are not isolated to one country. Communicators at all stages of their career should seize this opportunity to build community across generational divides, collaborate, and define priorities that will shape the future of the profession.”
Access the 2025 Global Communication Report.
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