Brands
Report: A Brand's Guide to Gen Alpha Trends, Behaviors and Preferences
Report summary
Gen Alpha (ages 0-9) is being reared during the confluence of many once-in-a-lifetime events: historic inflation, a still unresolved pandemic and ongoing tech breakthroughs. All of these elements heavily influence how their parents raise them — and how this youngest generation views the world. This report aims to introduce Gen Alpha to our readers and establishes a foundation for understanding how their behaviors and upbringing differ from that of previous generations. We did this by surveying 2,000 of their parents, asking them questions about their children’s screen time, brand preferences and purchasing influence, financial future, healthy habits, and travel plans.
Key Takeaways
- Parents believe Alphas will be better off than they were. But not in terms of mental health — call it the COVID effect.
- The lives of Alphas are deeply digital: Most Alphas (54%) own a tablet, and their future points to virtual reality.
- Alphas are already influencing purchasing: That’s especially true for food and beverages.
- Gen Alpha parents are financially preoccupied: The Great Recession is impacting millennials’ parenting style.
- Parents emphasize healthy eating. But: McDonald’s — more so than in the past, it’s a balance of vegetables and Happy Meals.
- Travel-happy parents are bringing Alphas along, and Alphas are already influencing where their families go.
Methodology
The research fueling this report was fielded Dec. 10-20, 2022, among a representative sample of 2,001 parents with children under the age of 9, and Dec. 10-19, 2022, among a representative sample of 1,000 parents with children under the age of 18. An additional survey was fielded Dec. 21-24, 2022, among a representative sample of 1,000 parents with children under the age of 9. The first survey has an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points, while the second and third surveys have an unweighted margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.
About the authors
Joanna Piacenza leads Industry Analysis at Morning Consult. Prior to joining Morning Consult, she was an editor at the Public Religion Research Institute, conducting research at the intersection of religion, culture and public policy. Joanna graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications and holds a master’s degree in religious studies from the University of Colorado Boulder. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
Amy He leads Industry Analysis at Morning Consult. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Amy served as the executive editor at eMarketer, and was a China reporter for many years. She graduated from New York University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and East Asian studies. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
Jordan Marlatt previously worked at Morning Consult as a lead tech analyst.
Emily Moquin previously worked at Morning Consult as a lead food & beverage analyst.
Josh Pearce previously worked at Morning Consult as a data scientist.
Lindsey Roeschke is an analyst whose work focuses on behavior and expectations of consumers in the travel & hospitality and food & beverage categories, particularly through a generational and cultural lens. Prior to joining Morning Consult, she served as a director of consumer and culture analysis at Gartner. In addition to her research and advisory background, Lindsey has more than a decade of experience in the advertising world. She has lived and worked in seven cities across four continents.
Kevin Tran previously worked at Morning Consult as the senior media & entertainment analyst.
Nicki Zink is deputy head of Industry Analysis. Her team identifies trends affecting key demographics across food & beverage, travel & hospitality and financial services. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Nicki served as the head of digital intelligence at Purple Strategies, a corporate reputation and strategy firm. She graduated from Miami University with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication. For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
Meg Bond is the director of financial services intelligence, where she conducts research, authors analyst notes and advises leaders in the financial services industry on how to apply data-driven insights to make better business decisions.
For speaking opportunities and booking requests, please email [email protected].
