Media Briefing: How Americans have fun (& more)
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This month, we’re diving into the evolving social life of Americans, the social media platform that is universally beloved, trends in artificial intelligence and more.
Read on for recent insights into these topics and more, or download our full reports for a deeper dive.
How different demographics are engaging socially
High earners and millennials are keeping the busiest, with many regularly going out for meals, participating in indoor fitness activities and going bar hopping.
That said, with the latter now firmly in midlife - and nearing the peak of their earning power — these groups are often one and the same. In contrast, low earners were amonç the least likely to report engaging in all the activities that Morning Consult tested. Together, this data makes one thing clear: Amid continually rising prices and economic uncertainty, access to ample disposable income is more of a prerequisite to having a robust social life than ever before.
Zooming out, dining and fitness-related pursuits are the most broadly popular among all Americans. And despite being dubbed the "homebody generation," Gen Zers participate in social activities with relative parity to the general population.
Redditors have many interests and hobbies
Frequent Redditors have varied interests and hobbies, if the breadth of topics covered in-depth on the platform is any indication. While Morning Consult Intelligence doesn’t track ramen consumption (r/ramen) or mug collecting (r/muglife), our data does show that compared to the average U.S. adult, for example, frequent Reddit users are:
- More than twice as likely to buy or sell cryptocurrency weekly (24% versus 9%, respectively)
- 15 points more likely to trade stocks via mobile weekly (27% versus 12%)
- 15 points more likely to say they primarily lift weights or strength train for fitness (46% versus 31%)
YouTube is universally beloved, and particularly among men
When presented with a list of major social media platforms and asked to identify which they found most enjoyable, approximately 1 in 3 U.S. adults (34%) said YouTube, a figure that was double-digits higher than the next most-selected platform (Facebook).
More interesting, however, is the parity of YouTube’s support across key demographics: Roughly equal shares of gender, generational and political cohorts all chose the video-sharing platform as the most enjoyable — though these shares were highest among men (41%) and Gen Xers (39%).
Read more here for an exploration of YouTube’s high favorability.
Nearly half of AI skeptics say that widespread adoption of AI harms their trust in businesses
While it truly seems as if AI is permeating all areas of life, the adoption of AI isn’t necessarily a positive when it comes to earning and keeping consumer trust. When asked whether several current and potential circumstances impacted their trust in business (specifically the way businesses handle customer data), the element most likely to push consumer trust to the negative side amongst all adults is larger and more widespread adoption of AI by companies: more than 3 in 10 said it would make them trust businesses less with their personal information.
Among AI skeptics, this number increases substantially — nearly half (48%) said that widespread adoption of AI is negatively influencing their trust in the way businesses handle personal information. Read more here for an exploration of who AI skeptics are, and what factors matter to them when it comes to trusting a business.
Most Americans are engaging with AI summaries when searching online
When asked to consider their typical online search, a plurality of U.S. adults (31%) said they refer to an AI-generated summary as often as they scroll down to the standard results page. Eighteen percent said they “usually refer to an AI summary, but sometimes scroll further down,” and another 10% said they “always only” refer to an AI summary.
This means AI summaries — when they are provided — are now a major part of the internet search process for roughly 3 in 5 (58%) U.S. adults.
Read more here on how Americans are engaging with AI summaries.
High earners are the most likely cohort to say they spent more on experiences than products
After the Great Recession, the “experience economy” emerged as consumers shifted spending away from material goods and toward meaningful, memorable experiences like travel, dining out and live events. It was a way to find joy and connection in a time of economic uncertainty.
Now, with financial pressures once again reshaping household budgets, there are signs that experience-led spending may be poised to regain relevance.
When asked to compare directly between discretionary purchase types, a majority (60%) of consumers said that they spent “about the same” on non-essential products as they did on experiences in the past year. Those who noted a difference in spend between the two were more likely to say that they spent more on products than on experiences — overall, adults were 10 points more likely to say they spent more on non-essential products. However, some demographic groups tend more towards spending on experiences than others. High earners are the most likely of any group to say they spend more on experiences than things.
Read more on the return of the experience economy.
Overwhelming options for where to purchase inhibits buyers of electronic goods
For personal electronics purchases, shoppers having trouble making a choice due to an overwhelming number of options for where to shop does increase the likelihood of non-purchase. Though a smaller effect size, difficulty finding stores with flexible returns policies also inhibits purchase.
Discouraged shoppers who go online to find reviews and opinions from others see a slight boost toward conversion. Given the overwhelm related to choosing a store in addition to choosing a product for this category, reviews that highlight not only product features and benefits, but factors related to the shopping experience — retailers warranties and other services like tech support — should help move these uncertain shoppers toward purchase.
Read more in our report that explores what drives shopping abandonment.
Want more insights? Dive into additional analysis from our team of experts below.
- Tracking U.S. Consumers' Views on Tariffs: A comprehensive look at U.S. consumers’ attitudes, including topline support, inflation expectations, spending behavior, corporate messaging and political sentiment.
- U.S. Consumer Income & Debt Tracker: Our new tracker provides a comprehensive view of American consumers' income and debt sources.
- Brands Sticking With DEI See Gains With Both Democrats and Republicans: While many brands have rolled back their DEI efforts under the Trump administration, those that stuck with their initiatives have a positive trajectory with consumers.
Bobby Blanchard is the senior director of audience development at Morning Consult. @bobbycblanchard