USHMM_HERC RFI.pdf

National Study of Teens’ Encounters, Knowledge, Understanding and Attitudes about the Holocaust

Request for Information

1. Statement of Need

1.1 The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to understand the marketplace for conducting a nationwide study of American teens’ knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust, their encounters with it and their attitudes and perceptions toward it.

1.2 While USHMM knows Holocaust history and has expertise in Holocaust education, we do not have the capacity or internal expertise to design and undertake a study of this size and scope.

Therefore, it is crucial to gain information from experts and research professionals who have undertaken similar projects (including engaging with young people) and possess the training and expertise to help us shape the focus and expectations of our proposed research and its approach.

1.3 The information gathered through this RFI will be used by USHMM to understand the marketplace’s capability and gain knowledge on how we might draft a realistic and achievable proposal (or proposals) to undertake this study.

1.4 The overarching goal of the study, discussed in more detail below, is to gather and analyze data relating to three key questions:

● Question 1: In 2026, where, how and in what ways do American teens, aged 13 to 17, encounter and learn about the Holocaust?

● Question 2: What do they know and understand about this history (historical events, causes, and consequences)?

● Question 3: How do they perceive and think about the Holocaust, its contemporary relevance and the value of learning about it?

2. RFI Responses

2.1 This RFI will remain open at least through December 19, 2025, so that we can maintain the anticipated solicitation schedule provided in Section 8, below. We will acknowledge receipt of all comments within one week of their submission.

2.2 Responses are voluntary and can include answers to some or all of our questions, as well as any additional information deemed relevant to this project.

2.3 We encourage all interested parties who can offer valuable insights to respond.

2.4 We may invite vendors to meet virtually with us on a one-by-one basis to discuss the project, subject to dates and times of mutual convenience.

2.5 All responses must be submitted via email to asimpson@ushmm.org with cc to bfalk@ushmm.org.

3. Project Background and Rationale

3.1 The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires audiences to think critically about the Holocaust and their own roles and responsibilities in society. Teens (ages 13–17) are a priority audience segment for the Museum, as this stage of life is critical to the formation of values, identities, and life choices.

3.2 The Museum seeks to understand how teens today learn about the Holocaust and how and in what ways these experiences shape their knowledge, understandings and attitudes. Building on the Museum’s previous evaluations and research regarding American teens' engagement with Museum lesson plans in classrooms across the country, as well as several previous evaluations of teens in the Museum’s exhibitions, we recognize that we still need to know more about them in an ongoing and holistic way.

3.3 From these previous findings, we know that their sources of learning range from classrooms to popular culture, families, communities, and digital environments. We also know that their historical knowledge of the Holocaust is often limited and superficial. We also see misconceptions and misinformation about the Holocaust embedded in attitudes or perceptions about the Holocaust.

3.4 In a rapidly changing landscape, the Museum requires new, representative data to inform programming, educational strategies, and exhibition development. We recognize that this effort needs to be ongoing as the environment in which youth live and learn is in continuous flux as external factors shape how, where and what teens learn and understand. The learning strategies and methodologies employed a decade ago to engage teens may or may not still be effective or relevant.

3.5 As such, we recognize that we need to continuously listen to and learn from this age cohort in order for the Museum to effectively engage and inspire their thinking and choices at this critical time in their lives.

4.The Anticipated Scope of Work

4.1 Given that the purpose of this research is to learn from American teens where, when and how they have encountered and/or learned about the Holocaust, their familiarity with the history and its causes, and their attitudes and perceptions about the relevance or importance of the Holocaust for today, it is critical that the research findings are representative of the entire country and the data collection robust enough to allow for analysis across various demographic factors (see below).

4.2 We currently envision this study as the first, baseline study in which we will use the data to identify gaps, trends and questions that will provide the Museum with valuable insights and guidance in the development of future resources, programs and exhibitions, as well as providing the questions for subsequent multi-phased research projects.

4.3 We anticipate this will be accomplished by gathering both quantitative and qualitative data on American teens, allowing us to go beyond percentages and stats and provide deeper and more nuanced understandings of the nature of teens’ learning and encounters with the Holocaust, specifically how and when they access or encounter the Holocaust; the ways in which their attitudes are shaped and knowledge is attained, among other things. We are, however, interested in feedback on whether a multiphased approach is the best strategy, and its impacts on the timeline and budget for this study.

5. Supplemental Information on Key Research Questions

As noted above, USHMM has identified three broad research questions that we want the study to provide data on. To assist vendors in responding to this RFI, we are providing additional information and contextual background for each question.

5.1 Question 1: In 2026, where, how and in what ways do American teens, aged 13 to 17, encounter and learn about the Holocaust?

5.1.1 We anticipate that teens encounter the Holocaust in a variety of settings, ranging from the classroom to informal learning opportunities to social media to media and gaming spaces to discussions and conversations within their community and family networks. Yet we know very little about the nature of these encounters, how often they occur, or what value they attribute to them.

5.1.2 While our knowledge of the formal classroom is the most extensive, there is little data that is able to inform our ability to develop learning methodologies and tools that might focus on these other learning environments.

5.1.3 To be clear, this research study is not intended to survey educators or school districts regarding the prevalence, or lack, of classroom instruction on the Holocaust. Rather, our focus is on teens and their recollections of where, when and what they may have learned regarding the Holocaust.

5.1.4 Our expectation at this time is that data would be collected from a variety of teens who have learned about the Holocaust - or not - in a variety of diverse learning environments, including organized instructional settings; social media interactions and platforms; media and gaming spaces and other forms of popular culture; as well as offer a nuanced picture of how family and communities might be a source of knowledge, understandings and attitudes about the Holocaust for teens.

5.2 Question 2: What do they know and understand about this history (historical events, causes, and consequences)?

5.2.1 No matter where, how or in what ways teens encounter and learn about the Holocaust, we also would anticipate acquiring detailed data and findings regarding teens’ historical knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust and their familiarity with it.

5.2.2 Our expectation at this time is that, broadly speaking, we will learn about teens’:

● Historical knowledge about the Holocaust;

● Their understanding and thinking as to “how and why” the Holocaust happened;

● The extent to which they harbor or accept simplified historical narratives, distortions, myths and misconceptions.

5.2.3 Determining the degree to which these historical understandings are understood by teens will be important for Museum staff to ascertain. Identifying prevalent misinformation and misconceptions about how and why the Holocaust occurred will drive future resource and programmatic developments.

5.3 Question 3: How do they perceive and think about the Holocaust, its contemporary relevance and the value of learning about it?

5.3.1 We recognize that teens’ thinking and perceptions of the Holocaust may or may not have anything to do with their historical knowledge and understanding of it, and we do not want to lose that distinction.

5.3.2 In asking this third question, the idea is to explore and learn how the larger environment in which teens operate may or may not influence their perceptions and thinking about the Holocaust.

5.3.3 Broadly speaking, we are interested in learning where and in what manner teens' perceptions and attitudes about the Holocaust are derived and shaped. We anticipate that teens:

● may incorporate, or not, selected historical content into their own thinking about events and relationships that they navigate;

● may legitimize or distort the Holocaust as a historical event and a “lesson” for themselves, and others;

● may understand and perceive the Holocaust through narratives that rely on Holocaust denial, distortion, and other antisemitic tropes, stereotypes, and conspiracies.

6. Desired Impact and Learnings

At this time, we are hoping that our proposed research study will provide the following findings and impacts:

1) Foremost, a better understanding of this age group;

2) Actionable insights to guide Museum programming, resource development, digital engagement, and educational strategies. Better capacity to offer resources and learning methodologies for the environments where teens encounter, and do not encounter, the Holocaust;

3) A better picture of attitudes toward the Holocaust among U.S. youth so as to increase our ability to recognize challenges, misconceptions and distortions, and create and test strategies to help Holocaust professionals and practitioners develop resources, exhibitions and programs that acknowledge and address the challenges;

4) Aid our ability to begin hypothesizing and correlating on what helps to shape and influence teens’ learnings and attitudes toward this history;

5) Provide needed data, given the online environment with a proliferation of misinformation and antisemitism, to develop actionable insights about the influences on youth to better inform and potentially target mitigation strategies and strengthen educational practices;

6) Allow us to proactively monitor and assess learning trends and the shifting context(s) in which learning about the Holocaust is situated;

7) Serve as a baseline for marking future growth. It is possible that this study, or a variation of it, might be repeated on a regular and periodic schedule; however, this is not a certainty, and remains the prerogative of the Museum and its priorities.

7. RFI Questions

The responses to this RFI will help us understand the key components and approaches the marketplace might need USHMM to consider in a Request for Proposal, including areas that may create challenges for this study.

Questions for Researchers:

● What is your view of the three principal research questions and their appropriateness and feasibility in helping the Museum achieve its desired outcomes?

● What issues or challenges do you foresee in using these three questions as the main framework for the study? What concerns, questions, or considerations arise?

● What suggestions or recommendations do you have for tweaking or revising these core questions?

Nationally Representative:

We want the data and the findings to be nationally representative. Yet we are open to learning from you how feasible this might be, what approaches and strategies might be considered, and how it might impact timelines, research plans, and the cost of a national study.

● To ensure the study is nationally representative, would it be necessary to collect data from every state? What are the arguments for and against collecting data from every state vs. pursuing a more targeted focus on selected states or regions?

We have an expectation that the vendor will be able to collect data from a wide variety of demographic variables among teens. How realistic is this? How much data would be needed to ensure analysis across a range of variables (e.g., various age ranges, location, ethnicity, gender, religion, socio-economic group)? What would be the priority demographic(s)? What issues and challenges might emerge from collecting this information?

Reaching Teens:

● How challenging will it be to reach teens in learning environments outside the public school system (e.g., religious schools, private schools, homeschool environments)?

What issues and considerations emerge from these choices?

Methodology and Data Collection:

● What data collection methods (quantitative and/or qualitative) are most appropriate for investigating the principal research questions? What major issues and considerations arise in making these choices?

● How and to what extent might the choice of methodology impact the cost and time frame of the study?

● If it is agreed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data would this be done at the same time, or would one method precede the other? Why?

Performance Timetable:

● What do you think is an appropriate period of performance for this project? Why?

● What factors should we take into account when establishing performance deadlines?

Budgeting:

● What do you think is an appropriate budget for this project? Why?

● What factors should we take into account when considering pricing?

● What tradeoffs are we likely to face when considering return on investment? Where or how should we allocate our resources to maximize our outcomes?

8. Estimated Timetable for Acquisition (subject to change at USHMM discretion)

● Deadline for RFI responses: December 19, 2025

● USHMM reviews and responds to suppliers: through January 31, 2026

● USHMM drafts RFP: February 2026

● USHMM publishes RFP: March 1, 2026