WHAT THE DATA SAY: 77% don’t see any public leaders they admire or would want to emulate

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

U.S. LEADERSHIP CRISIS

A major lack of trust and value alignment exists between Americans and public leaders, according to our Harris Poll research with U.S. News.

• 77% say they don’t see any public leaders they admire or would want to emulate.
• Disappointment in leaders varies by sector: 73% for health care, 72% for business and 68% for education.
• 85% say government officials and other community leaders care more about their own power and influence than what’s best for the people they represent.
• More than half (56%) associate political figures with leadership, but only 31% consider them trustworthy.
• 82% say the values held by business leaders don’t align with those of everyday Americans.
• 80% say the current public service leaders aren’t prepared to adequately respond to the new crises of today.

GEN Z WANTS TO BE RICH QUICKLY

High cost of living and student loan debts mean Gen Z wants to gain financial independence as early as age 32 and will be creative to reach their financial goals, according to our Harris Poll research with dub.

• 94% of Gen Z want to hit financial independence before 55.
• 60% believe a traditional job won’t help them reach their financial goals.
• 62% of Gen Z use social media over traditional advisors for financial advice (36% of all Americans).
• See also: Are You Making These Retirement Mistakes? How a HENRY Can Prepare

AI FOR FINANCIAL ADVICE?

While Americans trust humans more than AI for financial advice, many are in favor of the two working together, according to our Harris Poll research with Northwestern-Mutual.

• Americans trust humans more than AI for all financial scenarios, including creating a retirement plan (56%), asking a financial question (55%) and managing an investment portfolio (53%).
• 47% would prefer to work with a financial advisor who understands and uses AI (54% for Gen Z and Millennials).

DISRUPTOR MEDIA SHOWCASE: Join Stagwell, SKDK and Targeted Victory on Sept. 16 in D.C. for the inaugural Disruptor Media Showcase – a session for advertisers and industry leaders offering an early look at how publishers are engaging audiences in today’s fast-evolving media landscape. RSVP and see participating publishers here.

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