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1. Late-night shopping and dining might be an untapped market for retailers and restaurants that want to reach consumers under 45.
America’s widening age gap isn’t just shaping politics and culture—it’s also influencing how they eat and shop. New CivicScience data reveal stark generational divides in shopping and eating out habits after dark. For example, Gen Z adults are twice as likely as the average American—and more than ten times as likely as older adults—to say they frequently shop or dine out past 10 p.m. Millennials and Gen X join in occasionally, with 62% of Millennials and 47% of Gen X reporting they venture out late at least a few times a year.
Cast Your Vote: Best late-night takeout spot?
2. New age verification policies on platforms like Spotify and YouTube are unlikely to push users away, but they’re contributing to strong data privacy concerns.
Age verification measures are taking shape around the world, with the implementation of the Online Safety Act in the United Kingdom serving as the most notable example. As a result, platforms like YouTube and Spotify are starting to require those under 18 to verify their identification by providing an ID. Many U.S. adult users of Spotify and YouTube (40%) say they’re likely to continue using these services as they expand age verification rules, but 33% say they would be unlikely to continue using the platforms. Those who go online most frequently are less likely to be deterred by such age verification policies.
Although age verification policies are not deterring the majority of Spotify and YouTube users, many are concerned about the implications they have on data privacy. Forty-four percent of users are ‘very’ concerned about privacy issues related to age verification, a figure that rises to over 50% among users aged 65 and older.
3. Nearly one quarter of U.S. adults have tried “dirty soda” and sober curiosity may be driving interest.
Finally, this week, CivicScience explored an emerging trend in the beverage space—“dirty sodas” (e.g., soda infused with various flavors from syrup and creams). Fresh data reveals 23% of U.S. adults report they have tried one of these beverages, with 12% saying they enjoyed the experience. Despite dirty soda’s western (Utah) roots, Midwesterners are the most likely to have tried and liked dirty sodas. While most Americans either haven’t tried or haven’t heard of them, there is clear interest brewing in the Northeast (16% interested) and the South (17% interested) as hotspots for likely intenders.
One possible contributor to the growing nationwide dirty soda trend is the Americans’ increasing interest in a sober curious (alcohol free) lifestyle. Soda, in general, is well-positioned with consumers drinking less alcohol. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that alcohol drinkers aged 21+ who are curious about an alcohol-free lifestyle are three times as likely to have tried dirty soda compared to non-sober curious drinkers. They are also nearly three times more likely to say they’ve enjoyed dirty soda (24% to 9%).
Weigh In: How likely is it that you would try a “dirty soda”?
