WHAT THE DATA SAY: Meeting tech issues steal 16 minutes from productivity each time they happen

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:

YOUR WORKPLACE IS ON MUTE

Tech issues cost businesses 16 minutes of lost productivity each time they happen, based on new Harris Poll research with Logitech.

• 71% of employees say they experience technology issues “sometimes” and 30% “very often.”
• 30% of leaders say meeting tech issues cost their organization 16 minutes each occurrence.
• Only 27% of organizations treat the “workplace experience” as a core business strategy.
• 81% of HR leaders say they are responsible for the workplace experience, followed by IT (76%) and real estate/facilities (72%).
• 89% of leaders say being in the office provides experiences employees cannot achieve at home or somewhere else.
• The primary drivers for coming into the office are changing: to attend meetings (46% today and expected to fall to 35% in the future), to connect with colleagues (39% today, growing to 42% in the future), policy requirement (29% today, 23% future), training (27% today, 31% future) and to use specialized spaces like labs and 3-D printing (23% today, 33% future).
• 24% of organizations bring IT and AV teams into a project before office space planning begins.
• 32% of companies update office layouts or technology standards continuously, based on live usage data.
• See also:  72% of Tech Decision-Makers Feel AI Initiatives Today Are Falling Short

YOUTH SPORTS BREAKING THE BUDGET

Two-thirds of parents with children under 18 are considering pulling them out of youth sports due to the escalating costs, based on the new Good Sports Cost of Play Index, conducted by The Harris Poll.

• 68% of parents of kids considered pulling them out of sports.
• Unsustainable costs are the top reason among 26% of parents – even among households with annual income of more than $100,000.
• Other factors include injury concerns (24%), poor coaching (23%), child does not enjoy it (23%) and a negative team environment (22%).
• 80% of parents say their children are currently playing sports compared with 84% in 2024.
• 53% of parents worry they will not be able to afford sports for their child next year.
• 77% say the growth of private clubs and travel teams is pricing many children out of participation.
• 67% say there has been a decrease in low-cost or public-school youth sports opportunities during the last five years.
• 56% say there are not enough viable recreational or intramural youth sports options available locally.

SCHOOL NEEDS A RESET

Teens, parents and teachers see a growing relevance gap in schools, and students want learning tied to their future goals, according to The Relevance Gap Study from Harris Poll and MilkPEP.

• 82% of teachers report declining student attentiveness.
• 55% of students disengage when subjects feel irrelevant to their future, and most (97%) are less engaged when lessons do not align with personal goals.
• 53% rank financial literacy, stock market knowledge or crypto among what they most want to learn, followed by entrepreneurship (45%), wellness (44%) and day-to-day skills (44%).
• Half of students say social media is more relevant to their aspirations than school, and 45% trust online experts and creators for goal-aligned information.
• 69% use YouTube several times a week to learn, followed by TikTok (57%) and Instagram (53%).

READY TO VOTE, WAITING TO BE HEARD

Young Americans are increasingly ready to vote, volunteer and lead, yet most believe elected officials are not listening to them, according to our Harris Poll research with UNICEF USA.

• State-election voting intent is up 15 points among young people since 2024, with local-election participation also on the rise.
• 82% say young people can make a difference, and 74% believe their political participation can improve the country.
• Yet only 30% feel included in decisions affecting them, while 63% say elected officials do not value their opinions.
• 62% say local leaders are invested in their future, versus 42% who say the same of federal leaders.
• Cost of living is youth’s top concern (61%) and their leading midterm issue (31%).
• To feel heard, young people want leaders to understand their views (44%), consider them in legislation (43%), hold honest dialogue (42%) and involve them in decisions (42%).

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

• Why Allison launched Allison Worldwide Health Group (Allison Worldwide Health Group) 
• 59% of Health Care Workers Plan to Look for a New Job in the Next Year (Harris Poll)
• When you’re operating at the speed of politics, you fail fast and succeed faster (SKDK, Targeted Victory, PRSA, Ray Day)
• How to Save a Billion and a Half Hours (Stagwell, Mark Penn, Fortune)
• Why brands need to start treating AI agents as an audience of their own (Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s BERA.Ai)
• How communities are rebuilding shared culture in a fragmented world (National Research Group)