February saw the second wave of our quarterly consumer tracking project, The QT. In this wave we continued to ask the questions which uncover the mood and state of the nation, but we also included a broad range of topics to support our clients’ own questions and hypotheses about the modern Brit.
So what have we learnt since November?
Brexit continues to loom over the nation, with polarised attitudes to how it is affecting our lives and plans for the rest of 2017.
26% of Brits are worried by the looming triggering of Article 50, with 19% claiming to be relieved at this happening.
We have seen incremental increases in confidence levels for the UK government and political system versus November. One could hypothesise that this is in some way impacted by the result of the US election which was announced immediately post-November fieldwork – but we couldn’t possibly say…
Comfort on income did see some erosion, both versus November and this time in 2016, with 18-24s the group most likely to be less comfortable on this than early last year. For them, purse strings are increasingly tight.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. 9% of Brits are happier than they were when we surveyed in November, and 39% versus February 2016. This is largely fuelled by 18-24s, where 70% claim to be happier than this time last year – vs a surprising 24% of the over 60s.
Experiences over things
One theme consistent with November was that of the power of the experience. 3 in 4 Brits don’t think it is important to spend their time and money on the latest tech this year, with the same proportion wanting to spend it on day trips with family and friends.
This pattern is consistently driven by the millennial group – who on the whole are claiming to prioritising their expenditure on holidays and experiences.
TV content is discovered in a myriad of ways
Millennials are the most socially driven TV viewers – with 2 in 5 using word of mouth to find their next boxset binge. This is in complete opposite to the older Brit – where only 3% listen to recommendations from others.
Serendipity still remains key for 1 in 10 TV viewers, channel flicking until something catches their eye.
What’s next?
The next wave of The QT will run in early May 2017. For more information on the study, the latest results or to add a question, please contact Frances.Revel@the7stars.co.uk
