WHAT THE DATA SAY: Favorite U.S. airline says a lot about your age

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. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

I’LL BE JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS THIS YEAR

Americans are increasingly waiting until the last minute to complete preparations for the holidays – from Thanksgiving to Christmas, according to our Harris Poll survey with Instacart.

• 85% of Americans are planning to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.
• 38% say it’s likely they will wait until the last minute to complete their food shopping.
• 25% say “just in time” for the Thanksgiving meal is because they’re too busy.
• When it comes to Christmas, 87% of Americans plan to celebrate this year.
• 37% say it’s likely they will wait until the last minute to complete gift shopping.
• 25% say that’s because they dislike gift shopping so much they tend to procrastinate.

FEWER PRESENTS UNDER THIS YEAR’S TREE

The upcoming Black Friday and holiday shopping could look very different this year for consumers, based on another Harris Poll survey with NerdWallet.

• 2023 shoppers say they plan to purchase gifts for fewer people this holiday season (31%) or spend less on gifts per person (30%) compared with past years.
• More than half of 2023 holiday shoppers (56%) won’t be able to buy as many gifts as they’d like due to inflation.
• 74% of holiday shoppers plan to use credit cards to purchase gifts and spend an average of $680 this holiday season.
• Many shoppers still have debt from last year: 52% incurred credit card debt when shopping during the previous holiday season, and 31% still need to pay off balances.

WHAT DO WE LOVE AND HATE ABOUT FLYING?

What do travelers dislike most about air travel? Other passengers, apparently – specifically their behaviors, according to our Harris Poll survey with Fast Company.

• 91% of those who traveled by plane in the past year report feeling satisfied with the experience, with 54% “very satisfied.”
• Yet 62% are frustrated by other passengers.
• Gen X (66%) is the most frustrated by other passengers, followed by Millennials (64%), Gen Z (63%) and Boomers (57%).
• When asked which aspects of flying have improved or declined, the overall experience (47% say it’s improving) and aircraft conditions (44% improving) perform best. At the same time, in-flight amenities (26% say they’re declining), aircraft comfort (22% declining) and flight reliability (21% declining) score lowest.
• When it comes to the environment, a clear generational divide exists: 67% of Gen Z is “concerned” about emissions, compared with 39% of Boomers.
• Delta (26% preferred) is viewed as the best airline overall, based on a separate survey, edging out Southwest Airlines (22%), American (20%) and United (17%).
• Although Delta came out on top overall, Gen Z most prefers United, Gen X prefers Southwest, and Boomers like Delta, Southwest and American equally.

ETHISPHERE AND STAGWELL DISCUSS RISK AND REPUTATION

Ethisphere and Stagwell will present new research and answer questions on “Seeing Around Corners: How Business Should Prepare for the Next 12 Months” during a Dec. 13 one-hour free webinar.

• The conversation will include fresh consumer and business data from The Harris Poll on: when to speak out and when not to; the role of ESG and Purpose today; the key wedge issues driving the election cycle – and company narratives; and what it takes to build a strong reputation today.
• Register using this link.

ICYMI

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

• Mark Penn: The Microtrends Shaping the Consumers of Tomorrow
• National Research Group: How approaching AI accountably can elevate your reputation
• How Will Artificial Intelligence Impact The Travel Industry?
• Employers’ Preferred Hiring Demographics May Face Pressure Against DEI Compliance
• Is Music Starting to Sound The Same?