Gen Z’s engagement with CSR types through relevance

This study examines how Generation Z (Gen Z) responds to different types of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) messaging on social media. As a socially conscious and digitally native generation, Gen Z represents a critical audience for strategic CSR communication. Through a four-condition online experiment (N = 678), we investigated the effects of CSR types (i.e. environmental, social, and economic) on participants’ attitudes toward the company and their intention to engage with the brand on social media. Results show that all three CSR types positively influence both attitudes and engagement; however, environmental and social CSR initiatives generate significantly stronger engagement than economic CSR. Furthermore, the study identifies two distinct mediating mechanisms: perceived societal relevance more strongly predicts positive attitude change, while perceived personal relevance is a more powerful driver of engagement behaviors. By integrating both personal and societal relevance into the CSR-effect model, this study offers a nuanced explanation for Gen Z’s varied responses to CSR campaigns. The findings provide practical implications for organizations seeking to enhance the effectiveness of CSR messaging: campaigns designed to build reputation may benefit from emphasizing societal relevance, while those aiming to increase visibility and interaction should highlight personally relevant themes.