• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 15, 2007

Never underestimate the importance of corporate social responsibility to educated young adults.

The "2007 Most Desirable Undergraduate Employers" study, released Friday by Universum Communications, details the factors shaping undergrads' perceptions of potential future employers.

Though it doesn't draw connections with their purchasing habits, it expands on the findings of several earlier studies that do. First profiled on the BusinessWeek Web site, the study does offer advertisers behavioral insights into a key target demo.

Universum's "top 25" list of most popular employers includes some non-commercial organizations known for their public missions, like the Peace Corps, Teach for America, and the State Department.

Most, however, are big and for-profit; Google, Goldman Sachs and Walt Disney dominated the list. Still, corporate social responsibility figured prominently in these rankings.

Respondents gave the most points to companies that treat their employees well, from generous benefits packages to a pleasant corporate culture, diversity initiatives to work-life balance.

That's a no-brainer on an employment survey, but it also has important implications for purchasing decisions, when juxtaposed with a 2006 study from the National Consumers League and Fleishman-Hillard International Communications. This study found that 76% of respondents ranked a company's employee welfare ahead of all other social considerations, including environmental stewardship and corporate philanthropy, when buying products.

These factors still play a role, of course: Universum cited several top employers that exhibit highly visible corporate responsibility programs beyond employee welfare. Among these were BMW's plans to introduce a hydrogen-powered car by the end of the year and Johnson & Johnson's community outreach initiatives.

In the eyes of college students, factors that make a good employer also make desirable products, according to a 2006 study by Alloy Media and Marketing and Harris Interactive. It showed that college students rank social responsibility higher than celebrity endorsements as factors in their choice of consumer brands. Some 33% of about 1,800 respondents saying they prefer brands known for involvement with not-for-profit causes, community activism or environment-friendly practices.

Among specific brands mentioned by college students, Ben & Jerry's was admired for its "Lick Global Warming" campaign, while Newman's Own earned praise for donating all profits to charity. Burt's Bees, Yoplait and the Body Shop also fared well.

Earlier this year, a JWT study showed 80% of teens surveyed said corporations should be held to an ethical standard of environmental conduct, and 59% said corporations should bear most of the responsibility for cleaning up the environment. Most useful: 75% said they would buy environmentally friendly products if available.