CivicScience is a consumer analytics and advertising platform that captures over one million survey responses daily. Turn real-time data into actionable insights here.
1. Many entered 2025 hoping for more financial breathing room, but fewer are seeing it now.
A noteworthy share of consumers feel like 2025 isn’t going as well as they had predicted. Back in December 2024, 51% of Americans said they expected 2025 to be better than 2024, compared with 25% who expected it to be worse. As of the end of August, just 27% say the year has met their expectations, while 42% say it’s been worse than they anticipated.
When asked last November about their finances for the coming year, expectations leaned slightly optimistic. But reality has fallen short: far fewer Americans now report having more disposable income than last year, while a larger share say they have less.
2. The majority of U.S. workers feel as though they are underemployed as the job market tightens.
Most working Americans feel underemployed — working below their skill/education level or fewer hours than they’d like — according to new CivicScience data, including 21% who feel ‘significantly’ underemployed. The top reason is limited job opportunities in their field, pointing to a mismatch between worker skills and available roles in the U.S. labor market. The second most common reason is the desire for flexible hours, often linked to reduced working time. Among underemployed workers, Gen Z are 15% more likely than Millennials—and 33% more likely than Baby Boomers—to cite the lack of job opportunities in their chosen field.
What do you think? Are you using your degree and/or job training?
3. Nearly one in three U.S. adults reports watching music videos more often this year than last year as the VMAs loom.
With the MTV Music Awards on September 7th, CivicScience took a close look at music video watching and intent to watch the awards. Looking specifically at the awards, roughly 3 in 10 say they’re at least somewhat likely to watch the VMAs (among those aware), with those who watch traditional TV only most likely to tune in, followed by streaming-only users, and those who use a mix of both.
Additional data show that music videos as a medium are not to be overlooked. In fact, about one-third of U.S. adults who watch music videos—and 52% of Gen Z—report watching music videos more often than they did last year, far outpacing the percentage watching them less often.
Let Us Know: Do you typically watch the MTV Video Music Awards?
