CivicScience continually tracks current and anticipated consumer trends. Here are three key insights marketers should know this week. All insights are derived from the CivicScience Social | Political | Economics | Cultural (SPEC) Report, a weekly report available to clients covering the latest news and insights. Work with us to learn more. 

1. Daily social media usage drops suddenly, hitting a record low for CivicScience tracking. 

From entertainment to shopping, or as a source for breaking news, social media offers many motivations to scroll through a variety of platforms each day. Even so, taking a break from social media is quite common, particularly among Gen Z.

A break may be on the mind of more social media users this month – those who say they spend more than an hour (34%) on social media daily is down by seven points as of last week. Nearly 30% now report they’re not spending any time on social media each day, which is a nine point spike over the previous week and the highest level seen since CivicScience began tracking in September 2022.

One possible motivation for Twitter users in particular to step away from social media during this time? The platform’s chaotic first weekend of July, which saw users become limited in the number of tweets they were able to read per day.

2. Nearly half of streaming service subscribers say TV shows or movies they watch have been removed from platforms.

A variety of streaming services have been making headlines by removing TV shows and movies they own from their streaming catalogs. This can leave consumers with few options to access their preferred content if no other service has the rights to stream it. Nearly half (48%) of streaming platform users have encountered this situation, with 15% saying ‘many’ of their favorite TV shows and movies have been removed.

Hulu subscribers top the list when it comes to reporting the loss of content they enjoyed, with almost 60% stating that TV shows or movies they like have been pulled from the platform. Close behind are Peacock (56%) and Paramount+ subscribers (55%), who also experienced some loss of their favorite content. In contrast, 45% of Disney+ subscribers note removal of content, marking the lowest among the streaming platforms surveyed.

3. Canadian wildfire smoke is curbing travel plans for 1 in 3 U.S. travelers – Northeastern residents are the most affected.

The Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States have been repeatedly engulfed in smoke from record-breaking Canadian wildfires in recent weeks, raising concerns about the potential health risks associated with poor air quality. These concerns have prompted Americans to limit time spent outside and have likely driven demand for air purifiers.

According to new CivicScience data, the impact of the wildfire smoke is not limited to health concerns alone; it is also affecting travel. Among consumers with travel plans, 1-in-3 respondents say they are considering canceling or changing their travel plans – or have already done so – due to the wildfire smoke. Moreover, individuals residing in the Northeast region are at least five percentage points more likely to report that their travel plans have been affected by the smoke and air quality.

Interested in an in-depth look at the data featured on these topics, along with additional consumer insights from this report? Get in touch to see how you can gain access to the full SPEC Report every week. Don’t miss out on the latest consumer data – receive a free month of premium content access when you book a meeting.