If you’ve ever made something you found through Pinterest, or put almost anything into a Mason jar, you might be part of a larger movement without even realizing it. The Maker Movement encompasses all independent creatives and creators, from designers to technicians, who take creative projects into their own hands. If you’ve ever visited Etsy, you know how amazing and valuable these DIY projects can be.
We wanted to find out who participates in popular crafting activities, and how they differ from those who don’t partake in these activities. What makes them unique as a group? We were also interested in how often these groups engage in creative activities. Some may find it surprising that the people who engage in creative activities the most are….
…. Well, you’ll have to keep reading.
Those Who Enjoy Making Food-Related Gifts
Out of everyone we asked, we found that the majority of crafters enjoy making food-related gifts. For an idea of what these gifts might look like, check out this decadent Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/edible-gifts/.
Key Profiles of this group:
• More than twice as likely to be women.
• More likely to be between the ages of 18 and 34.
• More likely to be generally price-conscious.
• More likely to volunteer at least once a month.
• More likely to buy organic food.
• More likely to actively use Pinterest.
• More like to be early adopters.
From this data, we might be able to assume that these gift-givers are either giving out of sentiment or price-consciousness. Due to their frequent volunteer habits, we might conclude that they value sentiment over objective value in gifts, and therefore would prefer to make a gift rather than buy one. Based on their price-consciousness, however, they may just be looking to save money by making a gift rather than buying.
Lastly, 44% of these people engage in creative activities at least once a week.
Those Who Enjoy Making Holiday Decorations
This was the second most popular answer. These people are 3x more likely to be women between the ages of 18 and 24 or 35 and 44 – somewhat different from the first group. We found that they have slightly different preferences than other groups.
This group is:
• More likely to favor restaurants with a pleasant atmosphere.
• More likely to follow food and cooking trends (similar to the first group).
• More likely to follow trends in home design and improvement somewhat closely.
They are also just as likely as the “foodies” to engage in creative activities at least once a week, with an insignificant difference of one percentage point.
Lastly, 69% of this group makes all or almost all of the household and/or children’s purchases for their home.
Those Who Enjoy Making Home Decorations
This is the third most popular answer. We see similar demographics as the other crafters – but there are interesting variations nonetheless. Like other groups, they are more likely to be women between the ages of 18 and 34.
However, they are:
• More than twice as likely to be active Pinterest users
• More likely to own or want to own a wireless speaker system.
• More likely to dine at fast food restaurants.
Given that all of the crafting groups so far are most likely to be women, and 85% of Pinterest users are women, the general Pinterest correlations are not surprising. However, even though other crafting groups are more likely to use Pinterest than those who don’t craft, this group has the highest use rate. This might mean that Pinterest is doing a successful job at providing ideas for those who enjoy making home decorations.
In addition, this group is somewhat more likely (by about 4-5 percentage points) than other crafting groups to engage in creative activities weekly.
Those Who Enjoy Making Furniture (AKA the “Man” Group)
Though this group is, like most other groups, mostly composed of 18 to 34-year-olds, they are the only group mostly composed of men. Coincidentally, one of the strongest correlations we found entails the type of beer that they drink at casual restaurants. This group is more likely than those who don’t enjoy building furniture to order a Pale Ale, Lager, Light Lager, or Wheat beer when eating at a fast casual restaurant.
They are also more likely to have a favorable view of Jeeps. On the other hand, who doesn’t? As a Jeep Owner, I’m somewhat biased.
In addition, they are more likely than those who don’t enjoy making furniture to engage in creative activities at least once a week, and are distinctly in line with the creative frequency of the other groups as well.
Those Who Enjoy Making Clothing & Accessories
Making clothing and accessories is known to be a time-consuming and tedious process, which shows through the data. Like other groups, these people are 3x more likely to be women, but unlike the other groups, they are more likely to be under 18 years old.
Because of this young age, they are of course more likely to be unemployed, and therefore may have extra time to craft. Possibly due to their age-stricken lack of experience, we also found that they make decisions less confidently than others. They are also more likely to live in the U.S. South.
In addition, this group is more likely than the other crafters to engage in creative activities daily. This may be due to the amount of time needed to make clothing and accessories, and/or the amount of time they have at their disposal.
The Other Makers
Naturally, we did not cover every creative category out of the thousands out there, and we found that 17% of people we asked enjoy making something other than the categories above. Though we don’t know exactly what these “somethings” are, we have developed a general profile of the “other maker.” This is the only group with no variations due to gender.
As opposed to other groups with comparatively higher incomes, this group is more likely to have an income of under $50,000 a year. They are also more likely to rent their homes and live with their parents. Similar to the other crafting groups, 48% of them engage in creative activities at least once a week.
In the future, it may be useful to break down this “other” group more comprehensively and delve into other facets of the growing Maker Movement.
Who knows? Maybe there are some other basket-weavers out there.
