The Young Activists Research Project explored young people connecting to create social change.
Principal investigator Prof Karen Nairn said the aim was to understand the motivations of young people taking part in groups addressing a range of complex issues including climate action, indigenous rights, sexual violence and social and economic issues.
The project worked with six groups — ActionStation, Generation Zero, InsideOUT, JustSpeak, Protect Ihumatao and Thursdays in Black.
"We were really interested in what inspires young people to keep going, what inspires them to join with others, as in be part of collectives."
There was an enormous amount of emotional work when young people cared about something, Prof Nairn said.
"People really did believe that it was possible to make a difference, and that kept them going," she said.
Being part of a collective was incredibly powerful and supportive and helped people stay motivated when they felt disillusioned about progress.
One surprising finding from the research was how hopeful young people were given some of the daunting issues they were tackling.
Membership of groups could be fluid, some people "ageing out" as other concerns including relationships, careers or families became important.
But despite that, the groups themselves continued to flourish.
"I suppose we kind of thought that sustaining a group meant that it needed to be the same people staying in, but we realised that the groups were being sustained anyway."
The research "blew apart" the stereotype of young people as a "me generation," Prof Nairn said.
"Because actually, they wanted a better world for themselves, but also a better world for everyone."
The findings of the project will be published in a book due out later in the year.
