WHAT THE DATA SAY: Only 38% say country of origin matters when choosing their next car

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:

AI IS #2 CAR-BUYING INFLUENCER

AI ranks second in car-buying purchase influence today, behind only visiting a dealership or taking a test drive, based on new HarrisX research released this week at the Financial Times Future of the Car Summit.

• 1 in 3 consumers used AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Gemini, during their most recent vehicle purchase.
• Top reasons for AI: to evaluate value for money (36%), compare vehicles (36%), and build confidence in decisions (32%).
• Only 38% of buyers today say country of origin matters when choosing their next vehicle brand.
• 28% say they would switch to a competing brand if it were 10–20% cheaper.
• Consumers are far more attached to vehicle type than to the brand itself: If a chosen vehicle became unavailable, only 14% would stay within the same brand but switch to a different model.
• 44% say unexpected costs or pricing changes would make them abandon a brand, the single highest switching trigger.
• Poor dealer experience (33%) ranks second.
• See also: Rising Auto Prices, Rising Expectations

CRYPTO GAINS AGAIN

One in four Americans now hold crypto, with adoption broadening by age, gender and industry, according to Harris Poll’s second annual State of Crypto Holders report with the National Cryptocurrency Association.

•  More than 67 million Americans – or one in four – now own cryptocurrency, an increase of about 12 million from 2025.
• Female ownership is rising quickly – up 10% year‑over‑year – and 28% of crypto holders are age 55 or older.
• New buyers differ from early adopters: 42% of recent crypto purchasers are women (versus 34% earlier); 18% are ages 18–24 (up from 11%); and new holders are also less likely to have traditional 9-to-5 jobs.
• Construction and manufacturing workers make up 21% of holders – just behind the combined share of tech and financial‑services employees.
• The South has more crypto holders than any other U.S. region.
• 41% of holders send crypto to friends and family, and 40% use crypto to shop and pay.
• 69% of holders trust crypto, compared with 65% who trust traditional banking.
• Nearly one in three holders cite integration with trusted platforms (PayPal, Visa, banks) as the most positive change in how they view crypto.

MOST EXPECT CONTAINMENT OF HANTAVIRUS

Public‑health agencies inspire more confidence than politicians when it comes to the ability to handle another pandemic, according to new HarrisX research.

• 66% of Americans think the hantavirus will be contained and that there won’t be a widespread outbreak.
• 61% are confident in the CDC’s ability to handle a pandemic, 59% in the NIH, 58% in HHS, and 57% in state and local authorities.

MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH MISUNDERSTOOD

Moms face wide misconceptions, patchy follow‑up and stark disparities in care – leaving many without the support they need, according to new Harris Poll research.

• One third of women believe postpartum depression always appears soon after birth – higher among Hispanic (39%) and Black (44%) women versus white women (28%), despite PPD being possible at any point during the first postpartum year.
• 51% of women are unaware that PPD typically does not resolve without intervention.
• 36% of women who are/have been pregnant report a mental‑health diagnosis during their pregnancy journey. Rates are higher rates among Hispanic (51%) and Black (43%) respondents.
• 86% say more postpartum follow-up should be standard care (44% strongly agree), signaling broad public support for moving beyond a single six-week checkup.
• 56% experienced postpartum mental‑health issues, and 52% say they got subpar or no support from providers.
• 59% believe health insurers should always fully cover pregnancy/postpartum mental‑health counseling.

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

• AI presents a legal wake-up call for communicators (Ray Day)
• What happens when AI gets good at strategy (Code and Theory)
• Toxic Bosses Are Growing In Lockstep with AI (Harris Poll)
• Gen Z not boycotting U.S. travel, except for these two reasons (Harris Poll)
• PR agencies are evolving from simply adopting AI tools to redesigning workflows (Katie Huang Shin)
• American Marketing Association keynote: Moving from reactive marketing and communications to true predictive strategy and execution (Ray Day)