Weekly Data

WHAT THE DATA SAY: Two thirds of women see U.S. economy and inflation becoming worse

By: Ray Day

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

WORRIED WOMEN

Women are feeling the financial strain of today’s economy more than men, including concern for affording a family and household shopping, according to our new Harris Poll survey with The Guardian.

62% of women said the economy and inflation is getting worse (47% of men).
Only 27% of women said they felt comfortable affording a family, compared to 43% of men.
71% of women are the household’s primary shopper.
52% of women are very worried about food prices (39% of men).
36% of women are spending time trying to find deals.
54% of women think they’ll get a raise this year (63% of men).
See also: 66% of Americans Are Making Purchases Earlier Than Planned, Due to Tariffs or Other Concerns, According to New Position Imaging/Harris Poll Survey

THE POWER OF NEWS JUNKIES

The growing news audience and increasing news consumption reinforces the value of advertising in news, according to our most recent study with HarrisX and the Future of News.

80.4 million U.S. adults, News Junkies who follow the news ‘very closely,’ view brands more positively than less engaged audiences across key brand and reputation metrics (purchase intent, favorability, likelihood to recommend, and trustworthiness).
Among News Junkies, a key target group for advertisers, the average purchase intent for 20 brand ads tested across technology, travel/hospitality, CPG, financial services, and automotive, was 66%— compared to 50% among the rest of the general population.
8%, approximately 36.8 million U.S. adults, are Exclusive News Junkies, defined as those who follow the news ‘very closely’ but do not closely follow sports or entertainment.
Exclusive News Junkies have grown in population size by approximately 7.2 million U.S. adults, now making up 13.8% of the general population (compared to 11.1% a year ago).
60% of News Junkies and Exclusive News Junkies now follow the news more closely than they did a year ago.

OPTIMISM REMAINS STEADY

While U.S. voters’ optimism on the state of the economy and country persists, inflation and national debt are top concerns, based on our June Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll.

39% say the country is on the right track – down from 42% in May.
52% say the U.S. economy is strong today – up 1% from May.
Inflation (34%) and immigration (32%, up 5% from May) are the top two issues for voters.
39% say inflation is the most important issue to them personally.
67% say the current level of national debt is unsustainable – up from 62% in May.
79% believe the U.S. government should move to balance the budget in the next few years.
42% believe cutting government programs like EV tax credits and scientific research is not justified.
See also: SPECIAL REPORT: JUNE HARVARD CAPS / HARRIS POLL: MAJORITY OF VOTERS SAY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION SHOULD SUPPORT ISRAEL’S EFFORT TO TAKE OUT IRAN’S NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM.

KIDS AND THEIR PHONES

Parents are expressing regret over the early age their children adopted social media and smartphone usage, based on our recent Harris Poll survey.

81% of parents who have already given their child a smartphone said that they had done so by age 12.
15% said their child was the primary or sole user of a smartphone by age 5 (42% for tablet).
51% of children who use Instagram and Snapchat have been using the apps since the age of 13 (57% for TikTok).
39% of parents who had already given their child a smartphone said they wish they hadn’t but they felt that they had to give in because so many of their children’s friends already had one.
54% felt they had to give their child social media because so many families had already done so.
29% say their child began using social media too young (22% for smartphones and 17% for tablets).
66% said they would like to restrict their child’s access to smartphones until they reach high school.
73% said they want to delay social media until at least age 16.
64% supported schools enforcing a bell-to-bell phone-free school policy.

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

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Weekly Data

Jun 19, 2025