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Survey shows hope is essential, personal and built through everyday actions
ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, today released The St. Jude Hope Imperative, a national survey of 2,501 U.S. adults conducted by The Harris Poll exploring how Americans understand, experience and practice hope. Since he enjoyed baking with his mother and grandmother, he decided it was the ideal way to raise funds. Chocolate chips and sugar cookies were his favorite, so that’s what he offered. At first, he reached out to local businesses and corporations offering his cookies for sale.
“Hope is an important part of the journeys of St. Jude patients and their families, and we wanted to better understand how it shows up across Americans’ daily lives, not just in moments of crisis,” said Samantha Maltin, Chief Marketing and Brand Officer of ALSAC. “This study establishes a first-of-its-kind benchmark to track how hope is experienced in America and how it translates into action, generosity and genuine connection.”
A key finding was that hope is essential, with nearly nine out of 10 Americans reporting they couldn’t imagine living in a world without hope. Crucially, the study revealed that hope in America advances through the regular rhythms of daily life rather than emerging solely in times of distress. Nearly all respondents reported taking deliberate action in the past year to cultivate hope, with more than 91% saying helping others, even in small ways, is one of the most powerful ways they express hope.
The survey showed a notable gap between how Americans view their personal futures versus the future of society, driven in part by whether individuals can see tangible progress and believe their actions matter. In that context, charitable giving becomes a meaningful outlet for practicing hope, particularly when people can clearly see the impact of what they contribute.
“What we see in the data is that hope is not abstract. Hope is a practice. It’s built through everyday actions, small acts of generosity and the connections people create with others,” Maltin said. “Charitable giving is one of the ways people turn hope into action, helping them feel that what they do makes a real difference.” The survey found that nonprofit organizations play a central role in fostering hope, with 84% of respondents saying nonprofits give them hope and 77% saying they are more likely to support organizations that inspire it. St. Jude, in particular, is strongly associated with hope, with 93% of survey respondents saying the organization makes them think of hope.
THE ST. JUDE HOPE IMPERATIVE KEY FINDINGS
| Hope is essential. | Nearly 9 in 10 find hope important and can’t imagine a world without it. |
| Hope is personal. | 68% feel hopeful about their own future and their friends’ and family’s futures. |
| Hope is a practice. | 96% have taken at least one deliberate action to cultivate hope in the past year. |
| Helping others builds hope. | 91% say helping others is one of the most powerful ways they express hope. |
| Charity inspires hope. | 84% say nonprofit organizations give them hope. |
| Giving reinforces impact. | 72% say giving more frequently helps them feel they are making a difference. |
| Progress fuels hope. | 90% say seeing measurable impact increases their hope. |
| St. Jude is strongly associated with hope. | 93% say St. Jude makes them think of hope. |
Visible progress also emerged as a critical factor. Ninety percent of respondents say seeing measurable impact from nonprofits increases their sense of hope for the future. That includes awareness that childhood cancer survival rates in the U.S. have increased from 20% to more than 80% over the past 60 years.
Overall, the findings reinforce that hope in America is sustained through action, generosity and visible progress. Rather than something abstract, hope is shaping how individuals turn intention into impact every day.
To view the full findings and learn more, visit stjude.org.
