Wave 14: Health priorities, back-to-school, and more

Wave 14 of our POOL research, which examines how COVID-19 is affecting consumer behaviors, media consumption, and more, took place W/C July 31, with 1,365 participants.

Five key insights from the research:

• As new cases continue to emerge across the U.S., sentiment turns back towards worry, frustration, and stress. Concerns are focused on the handling of it, apprehension about others not social distancing, finance worries, and more. Anxieties of sending students and teachers back to school are emerging as we enter back-to-school season.
• Which looks different this year. The majority of parents, teachers, or students (18+) report that their school is re-opening online or in a hybrid version of online and in-person. Most are planning to shop online rather than in-store, and they’ll be spending more money on protective equipment and personal hygiene.
• While there’s still a lot of support for BLM, Americans report declining support compared to June, when the death of George Floyd and protests were more top of mind. In its place is a reemergence of concern over the rising COVID cases across the country, unemployment, and the upcoming election.
• And with that increase in cases, Americans want to see brands take action, though awareness numbers continue to decline.
• Health continues to be a priority and consumers are making changes in their diets and habits to be healthier, from eating less fatty food to drinking more water. In terms of financial health and spending, Americans are planning to reduce their spend on dining out and gym membership, while spending more on essential items and medicine.

In fact, on that last point, a deeper dive on Americans' health priorities shows that:

• 54% say that if they're sick in the future, they're more likely to visit a teledoctor (doctor online) than go to a doctor's office.
• 63% say that working from home makes it easier to live a healthy lifestyle.
• 68% say they're paying more attention to their overall health than before COVID-19.

You can also see more takeaways from MediaPost, specifically in regards to consumers' awareness of brands taking action.

Excerpt: Following 14 waves of national consumer research, Mindshare's COVID-19 tracking study shows awareness of brands helping with the crisis has ebbed and now stands at its lowest point -- 30% unaided awareness -- since its first wave in March.

Online retailer Amazon remains the top brand mentioned by U.S. consumers as aiding them during the pandemic, but rival Walmart has slid behind automaker Ford's awareness.

Digital brands Google, Apple and Microsoft remain in the top in the top 10 in terms of recognition.

Read the full MediaPost article.

More stats and data: