Story Highlights
- Half say service had positive impact on feeling prepared for future career
- 79% report service positively affected connection to their community
- Two-thirds who served agree they can handle whatever comes their way
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As young people move through the transition to adulthood, they face a range of complex challenges, from forming an identity and finding where they fit in to navigating career paths.
New research from The Allstate Foundation and Gallup finds that participating in service is strongly associated with skills and mindsets that help young people thrive. Those who engage in service report greater outcomes in areas of career readiness, connection and resilience. Greater involvement in service, whether through additional time spent or more varied service experiences, is linked to even stronger outcomes.
These insights come from a nationally representative web-based survey of more than 3,000 U.S. young people aged 12-25, conducted Nov. 17-Dec. 1, 2025, using the Gallup Panel.
Youth Service Linked to Confidence in Career Readiness
“Service” refers to any action young people take to benefit other people or their communities. These contributions can take many forms, from structured service like volunteering at a hospital or joining a community cleanup effort to informal, day-to-day actions like caring for a neighbor’s children or picking up litter while at the park.
The data show that young people who engage in service report greater career readiness.
Half of young people (52%) say their service activities had a somewhat (38%) or very (14%) positive impact on feeling prepared for a future career. Young people with service experience also report greater confidence in several essential career-ready skills. Those who invested more hours in service activities in the past 12 months are even more likely to rate themselves as “good” or “excellent” in areas such as leadership, communication, public speaking and teamwork.
Youth who participate in service experiences also express greater confidence in their future careers. Nearly half of young people with service experience (48%) say they feel confident they can achieve the kind of career they want, compared with one-third of those without service experience. Confidence is even higher among those with greater involvement in service.
Young People Who Serve Feel More Connected
Seventy-nine percent of young people say service activities had a somewhat (47%) or very (32%) positive impact on feeling connected to their community. Additionally, 57% of youth who have engaged in service report feeling connected to people in their community, compared with 32% of those who have not participated in service. They are also more likely to say they have mentors who can help them reach future career goals (55%, compared with 43% among those who have not engaged in service). Those who participated in more different types of activities reported even stronger connections to mentors and people in their community.
Young People Who Serve Report Greater Resilience
A core part of growing up is learning what it takes to succeed, not only in building a career but also in navigating the challenges and setbacks that inevitably arise in life and work. Young people who engage in service activities report greater confidence in their ability to persevere in the face of problems and tackle new challenges, both of which reflect resilience.
Sixty percent of those with service experience say they feel confident or very confident in their ability to find solutions to problems without giving up, compared with 43% of those who have not participated in service. Similarly, two-thirds (66%) of those with any service experience agree they can handle whatever comes their way, compared with about half (52%) of those without service experience. These mindsets are even stronger among those who have dedicated more time to service activities over the past year.
Although young people who already have strong skills and connections may be more likely to get involved in service activities, the data indicate that the reverse is also true: Service experience matters in their personal development. Even after accounting for several factors that influence participation, greater involvement in service is still linked to higher levels of career readiness, greater resilience and stronger connections. These findings suggest that service participation may not only reflect existing attitudes, skills and support networks but may also actively help young people build these important competencies and relationships.
Bottom Line
Service does more than benefit others. Young people who participate report a wide range of positive outcomes for themselves, suggesting that service may be a valuable avenue for supporting youth development.
Young people who engage in service express a higher level of career readiness, connection and resilience. They are more likely to say they can solve problems, take on new challenges and persevere when faced with setbacks — capabilities that position them well for navigating adulthood.
Read the full report from The Allstate Foundation and Gallup to learn more about how young people experience service, the important role of youth leadership in service and practical tips to maximize its impact.
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