As brands move away from chasing universal appeal, the7stars' Insight team set out to uncover the UK's established and emerging cultural trends in its upcoming 2026 Cultural Codes whitepaper.
The Cultural Codes is the7stars’ framework for understanding how behavioural shifts shape our society, not through fleeting fads and temporary trends, but through a collection of longstanding, evolving signals (or codes) that grow, dissipate, and interact with one another to make up the melting pot of culture.
The codes themselves reflect distinct shifts in culture, spearheaded by younger cohorts. For better cultural accuracy, the team used quantitative, qualitative and social listening data, making strong use of their innovative social listening capabilities. To surface these codes, the7stars Cultural Insight Engine uses an iterative data collection process to understand how the codes are evolving over time, if they are no longer relevant or if fresh codes have emerged.
Of the eight codes unearthed in this year’s whitepaper, three are discussed below.
Nouveau Nostalgia is one of the longest-standing codes. People soaking themselves in the warm cosiness of the ‘good old days’ is nothing new. But what constitutes the past has changed. For many, it isn’t just 90s fashion or 80s music that makes them feel nostalgic, but 2014 Tumblr, pre-2016 politics or even 2020 lockdown. Nostalgia seeking is also on the rise. 77% say they sometimes or regularly actively seek content that makes them feel nostalgic, while half of UK adults say they are seeking more nostalgic experiences this year. Nouveau Nostalgia is gathering momentum, and brands that creatively embed the retro into their offering will benefit .
Unapologetic Self explores a tension within the UK that is particularly resonant amongst young adults. While identity becomes ever-more complex and the desire to express these multi-faceted identities is growing, spaces to express themselves are shrinking. the7stars QT, running for over 10 years, shows that more factors than ever contribute to people’s sense of self. Strong identification with social class, careers and the industries in which people work has risen by 17%pts since 2016, while ethnicity has risen by 14%pts. The average number of identities people strongly identify with has also increased. However, according to Foresight Factory, 20% of 18-24s say they don’t alter themselves to please others, while 75% of the same age group want more openness when talking about more difficult subjects. For brands, offering spaces where people can feel like they can be fully themselves is not just a nice-to-have; it taps into a strong unmet need that can inspire greater consumer loyalty and ultimately engagement.
The final code is an evolution from previous iterations, Neo-collectivism. Previously it reflected the broad desire for greater community. Now the code has shifted to recognise greater emphasis on the niche collectives that inspire stronger loyalty than traditional relationship structures. Over half of Brits said that they felt more understood by fellow fans at concerts than they did by people close to them in their everyday lives. Building on the Unapologetic Self code, the rise in multi-faceted identities is having a strong knock-on effect on this code, as people seek harder-to-reach communities that better emulate who they are. Neo-collectivism recognises that niche interests within areas such as music and film matter as much, if not more than, traditional social factors when building communities. For brands, facilitating these pockets of expression is key, but they should keep in mind that they needn’t be too serious to generate interest.
The full Cultural Codes whitepaper, including implications for brands, will be available to download in August.
