NEW YORK, May 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Meetup announced its learnings from a study conducted by ImpactED at the University of Pennsylvania,* concluding that Meetup, a social networking site for in-person or online live events around a common interest, improves emotional and social connections. Three out of four people reported that Meetup has made their life better, and eight out of ten say they feel more connected to others. To help combat feelings of isolation during social distancing, the company has announced its first two initiatives under new ownership: Meetup "Campus Community" and a COVID-19 resource page.

Meetup recognizes that students with social circles in quarantine can still achieve their goals by connecting with online communities. College students can start an online Meetup group for free, and connect with passionate self-starters in categories such as tech, business, social awareness, fitness, and more. Meetup's Campus Community inspires students to connect with their peers and feel less lonely, and helps them network for jobs upon graduation. A Meetup membership is always free, and the six-month organizer subscription to host a Meetup group ($99) will be waived for college students. They can sign up at Meetup.com/Campus. Meetup is partnering with Ripplematch and Savi to help get the word out to college students.

Meetup's COVID-19 resource page makes it easy for people to discover groups that can help foster togetherness despite the COVID-19 pandemic. These groups are hosted live on video chat platforms and span Meetup's most popular online categories including wellness (mediation, yoga, crafts), job networking (tech, coding, business), and support around COVID-19 (healthcare/essential workers, and affected families). It is found at Meetup.com/COVID19.

Across all key indicators, the ImpactED study showed that Meetup is making a positive life impact on its members. In fact, there is a clear relationship between the frequency of using Meetup and the positive impact Meetup members experienced, particularly for those who kept meeting amongst the same group. The study reported results from a survey that was taken by 5,443 Meetup members and organizers, the people who attend Meetup events, and those who plan and host Meetup events, respectively.

The findings for Meetup members revealed:

• 80% of people who go to Meetup events feel more connected to others.
• 90% of those who joined to learn something new increased their knowledge and/or skills.
• 72% of people reported an increased number of friendships.

The findings for Meetup organizers revealed:

• 89% of organizers reported an increased ability to impact the lives of others.
• 74% of organizers say Meetup has made their life better.
• 78% of organizers reported an increased impact on their self-confidence.

"Before COVID-19, sixty-two (62) percent of people falling within Generation Z reported feeling lonely on a regular basis, and those feelings must be exacerbated by universities and colleges closing," said David Seigel, CEO of Meetup. "Meetup helps relieve feelings of loneliness and isolation which is why we are making it easier for members to find the groups they may need most right now, as well as helping college students reconnect to their campus community."

Meetup is uniquely positioned to organize and promote communities at scale around similar interests by specifically matching people by topics and/or location. Meetup organizers--who create and maintain over 330,000 groups in 193 countries--not only convene around their passions, but organize to start movements of all sizes, and have significant abilities to enhance their own lives and others by using Meetup.

About ImpactED, University of Pennsylvania
ImpactED empowers leaders with critical skills and data to accelerate social change. Housed within the College of Liberal and Professional Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, we bridge the worlds of research and practice by applying rigorous and responsive evaluation methods and instructional design principles to meet client and community needs. Our work equips social impact leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to increase personal and organizational effectiveness. Learn more at www.impactedphl.com, and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About Meetup
Meetup is the leading social media platform dedicated to connecting people in person or online during times of crisis. Established in 2002, its mission is to help people grow and achieve their goals through real-life, human connections. From professional networking to craft brewery crawls to coding workshops and more, people use Meetup to get out from behind their screens to meet new people in real life who share those same passions or professional aspirations. Meetup uses technology and social media to help people get away from technology and become more social. Join Meetup to try something new, or to start a group and find other passionate people, at Meetup (https://www.meetup.com/) and follow company news on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook (@Meetup). For enterprise business solutions visit Meetup Pro (https://www.meetup.com/pro).

Meetup supports 49 million members, 330,000 groups, and 100,000 events per week in 193 countries and 2,000 cities around the world.

*ImpactED at University of Pennsylvania Survey Methodology

Meetup engaged ImpactED at the University of Pennsylvania to conduct a cross-sectional study of its current members. Survey questions captured details about members' Meetup event attendance, their motivations for joining, and the impact Meetup has had on their lives. ImpactED worked with Meetup to create a logic model and indicators, which illustrate the theory and assumptions underlying Meetup as an organization. Using the logic model and indicators as a guide, ImpactED developed two surveys: one for members and one for organizers. A total of 3,001 members and 2,442 organizers completed the survey, yielding response rates of 2.1% and 7.0% respectively. The data was weighted to account for non-response bias and to more accurately represent the population of Meetup users.

SOURCE Meetup

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