WHAT THE DATA SAY: 63% feel negative about grocery shopping – up 13 points from a year ago

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 and Allison Worldwide. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

‘TRIGGERED’ IN THE GROCERY AISLE

Americans are increasingly “triggered” in the grocery aisle, as affordability pressures and distrust of large companies shape how they shop and eat, based on Harris Poll research.

• 77% of U.S. adults cite cost of living are the most significant source of stress in their lives.
• 51% of Americans struggle to afford groceries, with consumers spending an average of 11.2% of their income on them.
• 63% feel a negative emotion about grocery shopping today – up 13 points from a year ago.
• More than half of consumers say large national companies do not understand their communities’ daily lives, boosting trust in local producers and farmers markets.
• Younger consumers increasingly favor home-cooked dinners and backyard barbecues to cut costs.
• 49% of Gen Z say they are “pickled obsessed” – considering it a food group for every meal.
• Parents report fewer picky eaters among their children, with 66% saying children typically devour berries before the containers make it into the refrigerator.
• See the full deck of data at this link

THAT DATING-APP PERSON REAL OR AI?

Single people say they’re fed up with AI-generated “catfishing,” according to new Harris Poll research with World.

• 57% say fake profiles are the biggest problem on dating apps today.
• 74% of online daters have suspected someone they matched on a dating app was not real.
• 70% would rather match with an average-looking person they know is real than a very attractive profile they can’t be sure about.
• 81% of singles would be much more likely to use a dating app if every profile was confirmed as belonging to a real person.
• 46% would be more likely to meet IRL sooner if they knew their match was a real person.

HIGH DEMAND FOR BACK-UP CHILD CARE

Employers’ emergency childcare offerings fall 30 points short of parents’ demands, according to the 2026 KinderCare Confidence Index, conducted with The Harris Poll.

• 68% of parents want on-demand or emergency childcare, yet only 38% say their employers offer it.
• 81% of parents are constantly thinking about potential childcare disruptions, and more than a quarter of working parents have no backup or emergency care option.
• More than half (58%) want employer-subsidized childcare, yet only 25% say the benefit is available.
• One in two working parents have missed work due to childcare challenges, while 35% have reduced their hours.
• Two-thirds of parents say unreliable childcare has negatively affected their work performance.

SPEED IS THE NEED FOR PACKAGE DELIVERY

Consumers want packages at their front doors faster than ever, and this reality will continue disrupting supply chains, based on Harris Poll research with Prologis.

• The share of organizations offering same-day or next-day delivery has more than doubled, rising to 58% today from 24% in 2019.
• 91% of business leaders say customers increasingly expect delivery within a day or two.
• AI-driven demand forecasting (43%) and agentic AI systems (39%) rank among the most transformative technologies expected to reshape supply chains during the next three years.

ICYMI: In case you missed it, check out the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:

• The Holiday Trend Report is Here (Harris Poll) 
• The public trusts researchers (67%) far more than business leaders (39%) (Allison, HarrisX)
• How the Streaming Industry Can Win the Podcast War (National Research Group)
• Do people trust your brand more than your biggest competitor? New free brand comparison tool lets you find out in under a minute (Harris Poll)
• Why Gen Alpha Teens are the household CMOs (Allison, HarrisX, PRWeek)
• 128 of America’s best-known brands lost real momentum this year, and only 37 gained it. Get a first look at the 2027 Brand Momentum Guide on November 10 (Harris Poll)