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 SPEC Report, an exclusive weekly report covering relevant social, political, economic, and cultural trends to help brands better understand and communicate with consumers.

1. Intent to travel is up, but vacationing plans vary by household income.

With spring officially here and summer just a few months away, the percentage of consumers who plan to travel in the next month has been trending upward. Currently, 57% of U.S. adults say they intend to do so, up 10 percentage points since Christmas. 

So, what does vacationing look like for Americans? CivicScience data show that income plays a role in the type of vacation consumers plan to take this year. Beach vacations are much more popular among travelers with a household income of $100K (48%, 10+ percentage points higher than other income brackets). Road trips and vacations to visit friends/family are popular among all household income brackets.

Will vacationers stay at a hotel, rental property, or with family/friends? Get answers in the full SPEC Report.

2. Who’s following news coverage and updates about the indictment of former President Trump?

The revelations in the indictment of former President Trump made headlines last week. According to CivicScience data, close to 4-in-5 Americans have been following news on the topic. Democrats are nearly 15 percentage points more likely than Republicans to say they have been following the indictment ‘very closely’ (50%, compared to 36% of Republicans). Conversely, Independents report the highest percentage of those following it ‘not at all closely’ (28%). 

The data further suggest that where Americans get their breaking news closely influences how much they follow the indictment, with TV news watchers the most likely to be following. Among cable news networks, consumers who watch MSNBC and CNN are far more likely to follow coverage ‘very closely’ than Fox News watchers, who report following it the least.

3. Three-quarters of U.S. adults say American-made labels are important to them when buying products.

Among many factors driving a purchase, such as brand and price, a product’s country of origin is a consideration for some consumers. In 2021, CivicScience data showed that 60% of U.S. adults said buying American-made products was much more important to them as a result of COVID-19. Today, that trend is still holding — currently, a third of Americans say buying “Made in America” products is ‘very important’ to them, with an additional 42% saying it’s ‘somewhat important.’ Data in the full report suggest that product origin is not the sole reason for a purchase, but is still an important factor for many consumers.

Want to see more insights like these? Clients receive the full SPEC Report every week. Work with us to see the full report.