By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from The Harris Poll, a Stagwell agency.

ECONOMIC WORRIES MIXED:

Today, 86% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – down 2 points from last week and up from 82% in December.

• 83% worry about a potential U.S. recession (up 1 point)
• 80% about U.S. crime rates (no change)
• 71% about political divisiveness (down 1 point)
• 71% about affording their living expenses (down 3 points)
• 68% about the War on Ukraine (up 3 points)
• 60% about a new COVID-19 variant (up 1 point)

HALF OF GEN Z SEARCH THE WEB VERSUS CALLING A DOCTOR:

More Americans know their astrology sign (66%) and credit score (58%) than their blood type (51%) or cholesterol level (20%), according to our survey with Quest Diagnostics.

• Even fewer younger Americans know their blood type (Gen Z: 32%, Millennials: 47%).
• Younger Americans also are relying on the internet for health information. While the majority of Americans (63%) receive health advice from healthcare professionals, only 44% of Gen Z do the same. Instead, more than half of Gen Z (52%) utilize internet searches.
• Additionally, more than one in five Americans (22%) receive health advice from social media influencers, especially Gen Z (40%) and Millennials (39%) versus Gen X (18%) and Boomers (3%).

FREE FOOD, SUBSIDIZED COMMUTING COULD BRING WORKERS BACK TO OFFICE:

What will entice employees back to the office? It seems that free meals (63%), free beverages and snacks (58%), and subsidized commuting (46%) – especially for workers outside the U.S. – will go a long way. That said, remote working isn’t a novelty anymore. Flexibility has become a baseline expectation for many employees, according to Stagwell’s National Research Group’s new “2023: Understanding the new world of work report.”

• We surveyed more than 4,000 people in the United States, UK, Germany and Japan to explore how workers around the world have been navigating and adapting – and what that means for businesses that want to make a flexible world work for them, their users and their staff.
• Only 11% of respondents said they prefer working in an office full-time.
• Yet 60% have experienced issues staying engaged while working from home, and 50% have experienced a home technical issue – with tech issues growing since the start of COVID.
• Employees are hungry for new at-home tech, including hands-free screens (69%), interactive learning/skills development (66%), virtual assistants (59%), and 3D object identification and training (52%).

AMERICANS LOOK LOCALLY TO SOLVE HOMELESSNESS:

Americans believe it’s up to local governments to fix homelessness, based on our survey with Grid.

• 42% believe local governments should lead in addressing homelessness, followed by state government (26%), federal (14%), private sector (11%) and individuals (7%).
• Yet, when asked how they expected homelessness to evolve in their area in the next five years, only 17% said it would get better, 41% said it would stay about the same – with rural Americans (34% say things will get worse) having the bleakest outlook.

ICYMI:

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

• Documents, Debt Ceilings and Crypto Regulation: January 2023 Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll
• Stagwell’s Experts Weigh In: Will A.I. Transform Marketing?
• The Tech Powering New Sports Marketing Opportunities in 2023
• Home Shoppers to Face High Rates, Economy With Resolve
• New Study Shows Working Parents in U.S. Expect More Employer, Government Support for Child Care

As always, if helpful, we would be happy to provide more info on any of these data or insights. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from The Harris Poll, a Stagwell agency.

Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking (fielded Jan. 13-15):

ECONOMIC WORRIES EDGE BACK UP:

Today, 88% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – up 4 points from last week and the same level as two weeks ago.

• 82% worry about a potential U.S. recession (up 1 point)
• 80% about U.S. crime rates (no change)
• 74% about affording their living expenses (up 2 points)
• 72% about political divisiveness (down 5 points)
• 65% about the War on Ukraine (down 7 points)
• 59% about a new COVID-19 variant (down 1 point)
• 48% about losing their jobs (down 2 points)

THE OPPOSITE OF QUIET QUITTING:

What’s the opposite of quiet quitting? Seems that “quietly up-working” is the new thing. Our poll with Yoh signals a willingness among some employees to prove their worth and ensure job security in the face of economic and workplace downturns.

• Today, 48% of Americans are worried about losing their jobs.
• 29% say they are more likely to go above and beyond by taking on a new project, learning new skills or undergoing additional training to position themselves as an asset to their employer.
• 22% are willing to work more hours than are required of them without receiving additional compensation.
• At the same time, 23% are just as likely to consider working for a new company as staying at their current organization.
• 29% are more likely to seek work outside their current to supplement their current income.

DO IN-OFFICE EMPLOYEES HAVE THE EDGE?:

Do in-office employees have an advantage over their working-remotely counterparts? Most Americans think they do, according to our survey with the American Staffing Association.

• 56% believe employees who work exclusively in-office have a competitive advantage over their fully remote counterparts when it comes to raises, bonuses and promotions.
• Despite this, less than half (48%) of workers report they are working completely in-person, 28% are working on a hybrid schedule, and 24% are fully remote.
• 51% of women employees said they work fully on-site, compared with 44% of men.
• Employed parents (33%) of children under the age of 18 were more likely to work a hybrid schedule, while the majority of those without minor children work on site full-time (51% versus 43% remote).
• 46% feel pressured to work during their time off.
• 44% would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant they had greater freedom to work remotely.
• 40% are worried about layoffs at their company during the next six months.

KITCHEN NOW MOST LOVED ROOM IN THE HOUSE:

COVID transformed kitchens into workspaces, study halls and entertainment centers for cooped-up families – and made them the most popular room in the house, according to our survey with Bertazzoni.

• Three out of four homeowners (75%) say they use the kitchen more than any other room in their home.
• What are homeowners looking for in a new kitchen? 84% want sustainable products.
• Some also want bling – with “prep kitchens” becoming one of the hottest new premium kitchen trends. Overall, 42% of homeowners saying they would want a second kitchen in their home if money were no object.
• That jumps to 61% among those aged 18 to 44.

ICYMI:

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

• 7 trends from CES 2023
• 6 Transformation Trends I’m Watching From CES 2023
• Inflation has less of an impact on snacking than meals

As always, if helpful, we would be happy to provide more info on any of these data or insights. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from The Harris Poll, a Stagwell agency.

Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking (fielded Jan. 6-8):

ECONOMIC WORRIES MODERATE:

Today, 84% of Americans are concerned about the economy and inflation – down 4 points from last week.

• 81% worry about a potential U.S. recession (down 3 points)
• 80% about U.S. crime rates (down 4 points)
• 77% about political divisiveness (no change)
• 72% about affording their living expenses (down 3 points)
• 72% about the War on Ukraine (down 1 point)
• 60% about a new COVID-19 variant (down 1 point)
• 50% about losing their jobs (down 4 points)

IN-PERSON SHOPPERS RETURN:

Nearly half of Americans are looking for a bargain – and more are planning to shop in person this year versus last. Those are among the insights in our survey with DailyPay and Dollar Tree.

• 44% are more likely to prioritize shopping for bargains in store compared to last year.
• Overall, 67% of Americans plan to spend either the same or more in 2023 as they did in 2022 on retail purchases.
• 73% plan to shop the same or more in person this year.
• When it comes to Americans’ preferences regarding purchasing items in-store versus online: 81% prefer in-store for furniture, 69% in-store for home goods, 65% in-store for apparel, 65% in-store for sporting goods and 59% in-store for electronics.

NOT YOUR PARENTS’ RETIREMENT:

To most Americans, retirement is not their parents’ retirement. Rather than a destination, it’s become a new journey, based on our survey with Edward Jones and Age Wave.

• 55% of pre-retirees and retirees ages 45 and older say that retirement today is best described as “a new chapter in life” versus the 27% who view it as “a time for relaxation.”
• When asked how today’s retirees view their parents’ retirement, 42% said it was “a time for relaxation” and only 22% described it as “a new chapter in life.”
• Half of retirees say they are “reinviting themselves in their retirement,” particularly women (53% versus men at 47%).
• 72% say they are now “able to realize their hopes and dreams.”
• At the same time, retirement isn’t without worries: Pre-retirees and retirees ages 45+ are worried about their physical health (49%), healthcare costs (34%), unexpected expenses (32%) and economic conditions (32%).

DRY JANUARY GROWS:

Dry January continues to grow in popularity – with better health and weight loss the prime motivators, according to our survey with Go Brewing.

• 79% of Americans who consume alcohol said they considered participating in Dry January this year.
• The top motivators include a desire to be healthier (52%), lose weight (35%) and the ability to focus better on personal or work goals (33%).

AIR TRAVEL TURBULENCE:

Southwest Airlines has some work to do to repair its reputation after cancelling flights during the busy holiday travel season, our survey with AdAge

• 45% of Americans have a worse opinion of the airline since before the meltdown.
• That dissatisfaction rises to 52% among people who have recently traveled with Southwest.
• 41% of respondents say they are less likely to travel with Southwest now compared to before the mass cancellations

ICYMI:

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

• Zillow CEO: Traditional offices are as outdated as typewriters. Employers need to adapt. (based on Harris Poll data)
• Quick Quitting: A New Trend Among Deskless Workers?
• Most employers would sack workers for improper social media posts: Poll
• 2023 predictions for communicators (#2)

As always, if helpful, we would be happy to provide more info on any of these data or insights. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

Thank you.