Every week, CivicScience continually tracks current and anticipated consumer trends. Here are three key insights marketers should know this week:
1. Inflation woes grow again.
Overall inflation concerns did not change last week; however, extreme concern increased significantly (4 pp), reaching levels not seen since July (58%).
2. Almost half of households prescribed ADHD medication were unable to fill a prescription due to shortages.
Medication shortages are impacting many households as roughly a fifth of the adult Gen Pop reported they could not fill a prescription within the last 30 days due to the pharmacy being out of stock of a medication (21%). Given the FDA announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall last week, that number more than doubled among households prescribed ADHD medication — 46% said they were unable to fill a prescription due to shortages.
3. Anticipated spending on toys / gifts is lower than this time last year.
Even though gift spending has increased over the past few weeks, it is currently two percentage points lower than it was this time last year. With the holiday season approaching, this category is important to keep an eye on.
On the other hand, planned spending on groceries experienced a four percentage-point increase over the last week.
What else we’re seeing: Americans are reporting significant changes in home-buying plans, which is likely taking a toll on emotional well-being. Get these details and more — CivicScience clients receive the full version of this weekly report on consumer spending and trends influencing consumer behavior and sentiment. Let’s chat.
