WPP media agency Mindshare UK, along with many others, has been looking into attitudes in the light of the Covid-19 crisis, finding, which won’t surprise anyone, high levels of concern and anxiety across all age groups and households but tracking significantly higher for parents and particularly parents in London.
People, it says, are seeking clear, no-nonsense advice and support from public institutions and brands as they cope with the impact of the nation-wide lockdown and comply with government advice.
It also found lower concern about the virus amongst young consumers and far higher levels of frustration. It indicated low positive responses to whether people feel “hope” and “calm” but showed almost no-one is in denial about Coronavirus.
Other findings are:
76% say life feels very uncertain
59% say they are worried about misinformation online
58% agree the crisis is an opportunity to slow down and connect with what really matters
55% agree “at that at times like these you really appreciate the BBC”
50% say they are spending more time online
50% are confident they can weather the storm financially
46% said they were reducing their financial obligations wherever possible
Interesting that the BBC appears to be having a good war – people need a trusted and (mostly) impartial source of information at times like these. Imagine being dependent on tabloid-style commercial sources sources.
For brands it finds: around three quarters of people want brands to play a role in supporting communities, promoting wellbeing and providing useful information. Half of consumers felt this should be a proactive role and only a small minority didn’t think brands should be providing support to help tackle the crisis.
As for future purchasing decisions:
70% were not planning an overseas holiday
66% said they were not planning a UK holiday
51% said they no-longer planned to buy luxury items
47% will not be making significant purchases for their homes
45% do not plan to buy new clothes
34% would not be buying treats for themselves
Grim news for some companies (travel and airlines obviously) but these things tend to change rapidly if – and it’s a big ‘if’ – normal life resumes. People in the UK though, and elsewhere of course, will take a big hit to their disposable incomes even if they’re lucky enough to still have a job.
