Key Findings July / August 2012
Almost Half of 25-34-Year-Olds Drink Wine
Young, urban-dwelling people with higher incomes are more likely than those of other ages to drink wine.
Nearly half (49%) of 25-34 year-olds drink wine at least occasionally, compared to 44% of adults overall. People age 55-64 are most likely to drink wine daily (8%) followed by those age 25-34 (7%) and women are more likely than men to drink wine at least a few times a month (39% vs. 33%).
Nearly three quarters (74%) of those with incomes of $75,000-$99,999 drink wine compared to fewer than half of those with incomes below $75,000.
U.S. Adults Who Ever Drink Wine By Age
Hispanics, Asians, and Adults Over 55 Make Up Increasing Share of Workforce
The projected labor force growth over the next 10 years will be affected by the aging of the baby-boom generation; as a result, the labor force is projected to grow at a slower rate than in the last several decades.
Hispanics, Asians, and Adults over 55 will make up an increasing share of the labor force. Hispanics in the labor force are projected to grow 3% between 2010 and 2020, Asians are projected to grow 2.7% and Adults 55+ are expected to grow 3.3%. Workers 55+ are expected to make up 25.2% of the labor force in 2020, up from 13.1% in 2000.
Men and women will grow at similar rates, 0.6% and 0.7% respectively. In 2010, 40.2% of Americans age 55 and older were in the labor force; this is expected to reach 43% by 2020.
Consumers Prefer Email for Both Personal and Marketing Communications
Email is the number one direct channel in terms of daily use and consumer preference for both personal and marketing communications.
Email is thriving, thanks in large part to the channel’s familiarity, flexibility, and universality. However, one place where the preference for email has declined is in personal communication.
Email preference as a personal communications channel has dropped 21% since 2008 giving way to texting and social media, which have grown 20% and 10% respectively.
Overall email still tops both text and social media for personal communication – 45% for email to text’s 36% and social’s 13%. Permission-based marketing through email has increased 5% since 2008 with 77% of consumers preferring to receive this type of marketing communication via email.
Preferred Channel for Permission-Based Promotional Messages
(Promotional Messages From Companies Whom I Have Granted Permission to Send Me On-going Information)
Mobile is Becoming an Indispensable Tool for Shopping
Looking for product information and store locations are the top two shopping-related activities mobile shoppers do on their phones according to an On Device Research study for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
More than a third of smartphone owners (34%) and 11% of cell phone owners have made online purchases using their mobile phones in the past year. Nearly six in 10 owners of smartphones (59%) say it is at least somewhat important to be able to make purchases using their phones.
Four in 10 smartphone owners (40%) have redeemed mobile coupons using their devices and almost three in 10 smartphone owners look for coupons at least once a month.
Why Consumers Shop Via Mobile
Mature Adults Keep Physically and Mentally Active
Boomers and centenarians consider maintaining physical health the most important – and most difficult – aspect of aging well.
More than half of Boomers and centenarians say they exercise almost every day and 89% of both groups communicate with friends and/or family members daily in order to maintain physical and mental health.
Centenarians are more likely than Boomers to say they eat nutritious meals and get eight or more hours of sleep most days. Nine in 10 Boomers have Internet access at home, compared to only a quarter (25%) of centenarians.
Both groups use the internet with Boomers using it primarily to get information and centenarians to share and view photos with family and friends.
Activities Boomers And Centenarians Do Daily or Almost Daily
Americans Consider Mattress Most Important Factor in Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
In a recent bedroom poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation more than three-fourths (76%) of those surveyed say that they had a good night’s sleep at least a few nights a week. And a good mattress was the number one factor (93%), followed by comfortable pillows (91%) and comfortable sheets and bedding (86%).
Only 29% felt a relaxing bath or shower just before bed and 12% felt the use of a prescription or OTC sleep aid made a difference in their sleep experience. In addition, American adults sleep with an average of 2.2 pillows on their beds.
Elements Americans Consider in Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
Spotlight On Working Women
As of 2012, women own more than 8.3 million businesses and employ 7.7 million people, generating nearly $1.3 trillion in revenue, according to American Express.
Between 1997 and 2012, women-owned firms increased by 54%, a rate 1.5 times the national average for all firms. Healthcare and the social services sector make up 20% of women-owned firms with the following industries growing quickly: wholesale trade, finance and insurance, real estate, healthcare and social assistance, construction, and arts, entertainment and recreation.
Among women who work for others, full time workers earn an average salary of $36,391, according to Census data and the majority of these women work in three industries – education and health service; trade, transportation and utilities; and local government.
Americans Don’t Want Employers Reading Their Social Media Profiles
While Americans publish their personal information for all their “friends” to see, the majority don’t like their employers asking for access to this personal information.
Six in 10 Americans (61%) are comfortable sharing their age on a resume or in an interview with a potential employer, but only 11% would feel comfortable having the employer read their social media profiles, according to BIGinsight.
More than eight in 10 American feel that employers who ask for access to their employees’ (personal) social media are intruding on their right to privacy (67% agree strongly and 19% agree somewhat).
A similar proportion think accessing someone else’s social media account is unethical (64% strongly agree and 19% somewhat agree).
How U.S. Workers Would Respond if an Employer Asked for Their Social Media Passwords
Americans Still Prioritize Economic Growth Over Environment
While over the last three decades most Americans prioritized the environment (55%) over economic growth (37%), the current recession has caused a shift in priorities.
The current trend shows Americans favor economic growth (47%) over the environment (41%). Americans 30 or older prioritize the economy, however, half or more of younger people aged 18-29 continue to prioritize the environment.
The long-term trend in Americans’ views of the trade-offs between the environment and economic growth suggest that this is more likely to become a major issue in the presidential race if the U.S. economy continues to struggle than if the economy picks up significant positive momentum.
Higher Priority for Economic Growth or Environment by Age
Consumers Buy Green Products for Long-Term Savings and Health
Americans’ top reason for buying environmentally friendly products is because they believe these products will save them money in the long run (90%) and because they consider the products healthier for themselves, their families, and/or their communities.
While consumers care about the environmental impact of their purchase, they don’t want to have to do the research to find out what that impact might be. Fewer than half (43%) say they actively seek out environmental information about the products they buy.
More than seven in 10 (73%) want companies to provide more environmental information on product packaging, and 71% want companies to help consumers understand the terms they use when describing products and services.
How Often U.S. Consumers Consider Environmental Impact of Purchases
Eight-in-Ten Americans Say They Live Green Sometimes
At least 25% of Americans claim to always practice eco-friendly behaviors such as recycling, driving energy-efficient vehicles, and buying green products, according to an Ipsos poll for RetailMeNot.com.
Almost half of all adults (46%) are more inclined to buy a product if it’s environmentally friendly, and 41% say they’ll pay a little more for a product or service if it’s environmentally friendly.
Women are more likely than men to say they buy green products when they are easily available and the price is right (45% vs. 36%).
Circumstances Under Which Americans Buy Environmentally Friendly Products
Consumers Prefer to Buy from Socially Responsible Companies
Companies with programs designed to “give back” to society attract two thirds (66%) of global consumers to buy their products or services and just under half (46%) say they are willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies.
The most important causes people care about are environmental stability, science and math education programs, hunger and poverty, and aid for people affected by natural disasters.
Socially conscious consumers are more likely than global consumers overall to trust ads on social networks, online video ads, banner ads and text ads on mobile phones.
Causes Socially Conscious Consumers Think Companies Should Support
Bullets
- Almost six in 10 U.S. adults (57%) think violent movies increase violent behavior in society.
- Social networks and blogs reach eight in 10 U.S. Internet users.
- One in 10 consumers (10%) say their customer loyalty (or lack thereof) is based on their impressions of the company before they even make a purchase.
- Social media is used by 74% of B2B marketers. (www.mediabistro.com)
- 90% of B2B marketers do some type of content marketing, much of it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social media sites. (Content Marketing Institute.com)
- The most popular content marketing tactics include article posting (79%), social media (74%), blogs (65%), enewsletters (63%), case studies (58%), and face-to-face events (56%). (Content Marketing Institute.com)