This is just a tiny glimpse of the data available to CivicScience clients. Discover more data.
While the COVID-19 pandemic led to more people staying home due to concerns about being in public settings, new CivicScience data suggests that current times could be considered unprecedented again as the desire to stay home reaches new heights. The percentage of U.S. adults reporting a decreased desire to leave the house has climbed to 35%, surpassing pandemic levels in 2020 (29%) and 2021 (23%). This marks the widest gap in CivicScience’s tracking – 13 percentage points – between those preferring to stay home and those who don’t, highlighting a growing shift in consumer behavior. However, consumers are most likely to answer they’re staying at home ‘about the same’ (44%).
Additional data indicates that certain demographics are more inclined to stay at home than others, including:
- U.S. adults 25+
- Households with an annual income under $100K
- Women
- Democrats
- Fully remote workers
- Those concerned about an imminent recession
- Estée Lauder, Nissan, Diet Pepsi customers – outpacing the Gen Pop
Answer our Poll: Did you want to leave the house today?
While the pandemic and quarantines understandably kept Americans at home in 2020 and 2021, what is driving even more Americans to prefer to stay home today? Among those reporting staying at home more often than usual, ‘cold weather/climate’ lead as the top reason, followed by a general preference to stay home, financial reasons/gas prices, and mental well-being/depression/seasonal affective disorder – with financial reasons likely being more pronounced as tariffs take effect. Concerns about politics, crime/safety, travel/crowds, and ICE raids are less common but still represent a significant share of respondents.
Use this Data: CivicScience clients leverage this data to anticipate the key influences driving their consumers to stay at home more often, allowing them to stay ahead of trends that could impact their bottom line.
An overall trend toward staying at home should be a warning sign for brands and retailers alike. For instance, those less likely to leave home, unsurprisingly, are far more likely to report they’re reducing their spending compared to last year, and they outpace the Gen Pop in cutting back due to inflation/higher prices. Notably, they’re more likely than the Gen Pop to be cutting back on fast-casuals (+9pp), groceries (+5pp), live entertainment (+3pp), clothing/shoes/apparel (+1pp), and beauty/personal care (+1pp).
Join the Conversation: Where have you cut back most because of inflation?
The growing preference to stay home – now surpassing pandemic-era levels – signals a new unprecedented time for brands and retailers. Despite the weather being the main reason for staying at home more often – which will fade as the season changes – it’s clear that there’s still an overall shift toward staying at home in general, and financial concerns are largely playing a role in it. As President Trump’s tariffs go into effect, coupled with Americans already cutting back, staying at home could only become more prevalent – a key trend that will shape consumer behavior across industries alike.
