Teen Voice 2010: Relationships that Matter to America's Teens, is a national study of 1,860 15-year-olds in three cities across the United States exploring the importance of teen motivation and engagement in civic life.

2. Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
DETAILED FINDINGS 4
A CALL TO ACTION: ADVICE FROM TEENS TO ADULTS 8
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 19

3. Executive Summary
• Teen Voice 2010 explores three key strengths that make a difference
in teens’ lives:
– SPARKS: teens’ deepest passions and interests
– VOICE: teens’ confidence, skills and opportunities to influence things that
matter to them
– RELATIONSHIPS: teens’ access to high-quality resources and relationships
that help them nurture their strengths
• Teens who experience high levels of each strength overwhelmingly
perform better across all academic, social-emotional, psychological
and behavioral outcome studied
• Just 7% of teens experience scored high in all three strengths
• Only 19% of 15-year-olds in the United States have the kind of
meaningful relationships with adults beyond their family that help
them succeed in life

4. Strengthening Teens’ Success
Number of strengths (sparks, voice and relationships)
experienced by 15-year olds:

5. Identifying and Pursuing Teen Sparks
• 80% of 15-year-olds have at least one spark. The top three sparks were
creative arts (28%); sports (26%); and technology (18%)
• The power of sparks comes when:
– Teens know their spark or sparks
– Teens’ spark is important to them
– Teens take initiative to develop their spark
• Overall, 51% of teens score high in all three categories
• While many teens say they know their sparks, there is still an important
gap in the proportion of teens who are fully engaging with the things
they care most about

6. The Power of Teen Voice
Teens need confidence, skills and opportunities to speak up
about and influence the things that matter most to them.

7. Adult Relationships that Matter
Only about one in five 15-year-olds has the web of positive,
sustained and meaningful relationships needed in order to thrive.

8. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. Look at us.
2. Spend time talking with us.
3. Listen.
4. Be Dependable.
5. Show appreciation for what we do.
6. Relax.
7. Show that you’re interested.
8. Laugh with us (and at yourself).
9. Ask us to help you
10. Challenge us.

9. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME 1. Look at us.
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Make eye contact.
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
FOR WHAT WE DO.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

10. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
2. Spend Time Talking
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN.
with us.
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Ask open-ended questions.
FOR WHAT WE DO.
Build the conversation.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

11. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
3. Listen
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Pay attention. Don’t
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
multitask or get distracted
FOR WHAT WE DO. when you’re with us
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

12. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
4. Be Dependable
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Do what you say you’re
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
going to do.
FOR WHAT WE DO.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

13. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
5. Show appreciation for
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN.
what we do.
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Give compliments. Show
FOR WHAT WE DO.
that you’re glad to see or
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT hear from us.
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

14. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
6. Relax.
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Don’t feel like you have
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
to be on guard.
FOR WHAT WE DO.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

15. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
7. Show that you’re
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN.
interested
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Attend our concerts, games
FOR WHAT WE DO.
6. RELAX.
and other events. Ask us to
7. SHOW THAT show you what we can do.
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

16. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
8. Laugh with us (and at
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN.
yourself).
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Laugh at our jokes.
FOR WHAT WE DO.
Show us your humor.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

17. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
9. Ask us to help you.
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Ask us for our ideas.
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Share your own, too.
FOR WHAT WE DO.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

18. A CALL TO ACTION:
Advice from Teens to Adults
10 tips to Develop Positive
Relationships
1. LOOK AT US.
2. SPEND TIME
10. Challenge us.
TALKING WITH US.
3. LISTEN. Teach us what you know.
4. BE DEPENDABLE.
5. SHOW APPRECIATION
Push us to do
FOR WHAT WE DO.
our best.
6. RELAX.
7. SHOW THAT
YOU’RE INTERESTED.
8. LAUGH WITH US
(AND AT YOURSELF).
9. ASK US TO HELP YOU
10. CHALLENGE US.

19. Research Methodology
Date of Data October 12–November 9, 2009
Collection:
Survey mode: Web-based panel study and in-person interviews
Sample: 1,860 15-year-olds in the United States, weighted to align with
Census percentages by gender, race/ethnicity, geographic
location, urbanicity and parent education.
30 15-year-olds were interviewed by the project’s research
advisors in Ann Arbor, MI; Atlanta, GA; and Minneapolis, MN
Margin of error: +/- 3.0 percentage points at the 95% confidence level

20. Contact Us
Erin Gunderson, Best Buy
(612) 291-7286
erin.gunderson@bestbuy.com
Kaija Shaffer, Search Institute
(612) 692-5555
kaijas@searchinstitute.com
Kendall Murphy, Weber Shandwick
(202) 585-2163
kmurphy@webershandwick.com