TouchPoints4: Consumer habits changed by recession and new technology

New IPA TouchPoints4 survey data launched today reveals the extent to which the recession and new developments in technology have affected the way in which we are spending our daily lives. We are now spending more time at home, tightening our belts and multi-tasking our media consumption.

The IPA TouchPoints Database covers consumers’ general life activities, attitudes, mood and media usage. This latest survey is based on the habits of a representative sample of the GB adult population during late 2011.

Key findings include:

How people are communicating:

In terms of overall communication time, adults spend:

• 66% talking or chatting face-to-face, down 4 percentage points from 2010.
• 14% on the phone – landline (9%) or mobile (5%) – up from 10% in 2010.
• 6% emailing, the same as 2010
• 5% social networking, up from 4% in 2010.
• 5% SMS texting/picture messaging, up from 3% in 2010.
• 2% on other internet communications, down from 5% in 2010.
• 1% instant messaging, the same as 2010.
• And 1% writing to someone on paper, the same as 2010.

In terms of media usage:

• 44% of adults now social network each week, up 7 percentage points from 2010, each for an average of 6 hours 39 minutes a week – the same amount of time as in 2010.
• 47% of adults, up 8 percentage points from 2010, are using SMS/picture messaging and are spending longer doing this at 6 hours 18 minutes per week, compared with 5 hours 53 minutes in 2010.
• 60% of adults use mobile phones to talk every week compared with 57% in 2010; however we are using them for five minutes less than in 2010, and now spend just 4 hours 25 minutes per week talking on them.
• 67% of adults use email, up 5 percentage points from 2010, however we are spending 50 minutes less time, now 9 hours 2 minutes, emailing per week than in 2010.
• Writing to someone is falling rapidly, with only 14% of all adults writing to someone each week compared with 22% in 2010.

Overall media trend

• Television is still the dominant medium in terms of reaching 98% of adults each week with average daily hours consumed of 3 hours 30 minutes, down from 3 hours 41 minutes in 2010. For adults this is followed by outdoor (100%/ 2 hours 24 minutes per day, up from 2 hours 17 minutes in 2010), radio (89%/1 hour 54 minutes, up from 1 hour 53 minutes) and the internet (80%/ 1 hour 33 minutes, up from 1 hour 22 minutes). For 15-24s the dominant medium is also television (2 hours 43 minutes), followed by outdoor at 2 hours 17 minutes and the internet at 2 hours 14 minutes.

• People are watching 4% less traditional television, listening to radio 2% more and reading 10% less since 2010. However, any declines in media con-sumption through traditional means have been compensated for by the growth in their consumption through their digital platforms.

• The increase in overall media usage means that we are increasingly media multi-tasking with the percentage of adults using two or more media in the same half hour rising from 76% in 2010 to 79% in 2012.

• The media conglomerates are providing their services across an increasing number of media platforms and channels. In total the BBC services now reach 98% of all adults, followed by ITV and Channel 4 reaching 87% and 82% respectively.

Being connected

• Four out of five adults now use the internet on a weekly basis which marks a five percentage point growth since 2010. The most common way of accessing the internet is still via a PC or laptop with 77% of adults doing this each week.

• However, we are increasingly using other devices to access the internet – a third of all adults and half of 15-24s access the internet via a mobile phone each week. 5% of all adults connect via a tablet each week and 6% use a games console.

• 42% of all adults use only one device to access the internet each week, 29% use two, 8% use three and 2% use four or more.

• The most used location for accessing the internet is the living room for all adults (55%) whist it is the bedroom (77%) for 15-24s.

• Emailing is still the dominant internet activity accounting for a 19% share of all internet use.  The next largest activity is general surfing and browsing (14%), using the internet for work takes a 12% share as does social networking. Time spent consuming other media content via the internet has grown from 2% in 2010 to 7% in 2012, this has been primarily driven by online television – up by 96% and supported by listening to radio/podcasts, up by 23%, and looking at newspaper websites by 15%.

• 39% of all adults and 59% of 15-24s use their mobile phones to access the internet each week up from 16% and 34% respectively in 2010.

• 9% of adults use a tablet computer at least once a month compared to 8% who use an ebook.  One in three adults use apps each month with 10% of all adults listening to live radio through an app.

• A significant number of us are using alternative devices to a regular television set to watch television on a weekly basis. 6% are using an internet connected set and 8% use a regular games console. In terms of viewing on mobile devices 18% watch on a laptop, 9% on a mobile phone, 3% on a portable media player, 2% on a tablet and 2% on a portable games console.

• Watching TV online and watching video online is done by 29% of adults each week (compared to 20% in 2010), each for an average 18 minutes a day – an increase of 4 minutes a day.

• 39% of all adults use a catch-up/on-demand television service each week, 30% via the television set and 18% via the internet.

• The relatively new practice of ‘double screening’ is growing rapidly. Nearly half of all adults and three quarters of 15-24s say they surf the internet on their laptop whilst watching television. Whilst just over a quarter of adults, and just over half of 15-24s say they surf the internet on their mobile phone whilst watching television per month. Looking at just television, one in five adults and two in five 15-24s watch a television programme via internet whist watching another television programme on the main television set.

• New technology is also expanding the social interaction around television. 6% of all adults when watching a television programme like to be able to chat online about what they are viewing, this rises to 17% for 15-24s. Similarly,13% of all adults and 26% of 15-24s prefer to watch TV programmes at the same time as their friends and family are doing so, if possible, even if they are not in the same room.

• Whilst we are reading less printed copies of magazines and newspapers, we are increasingly using apps and the web to access our chosen titles. Apps and website usage adds another 24% reach to the quality dailies print total, 14% to the mid-markets and 12% to the tabloids. For major magazines, apps and websites adds about 9% to the print reach.

• Just over one in ten adults claim to be accessing the new mobile phone based geo-location services on a monthly basis with a similar number using their mobiles to research products in store and also to look for local deals.

Social media

• 44% of adults social network each week – as we know, this group is skewed towards 15-44s particularly 15-24s, and those either working or still studying – it also has a slight female and ABC1 bias. In terms of regionality, Londoners are the heaviest social networkers.

• Social networking takes place throughout the whole day but the peak time for people to social network is between 6.30pm and 10pm when 3-4% of adults are active – just less than half of these also watch the television at the same time.

• 9% of adults social network whilst at work.

• 3% of all adults have more than 500 Facebook friends compared to 13% of 15-24s

• 9% of all adults use Twitter each week up from 4% in 2010. The dominant demographic with a 22% weekly reach is 15-24s.

How we spend our money – we are shopping less, for less expensive purchases:

• The average amount of time spent shopping continues to fall from 44 minutes a day in 2008 to 38 minutes per day in 2010 to 29 minutes in 2012.

• Of all purchases we make in a week, 57% are for £20 or less and 4% are online. Cash is still the dominant method of payment and only one in a hundred people say they use the new ‘Tap and Go’ technology in a month.

• 57% (compared to 54% in 2010) of all adults agree that they have tightened their belts significantly and 73% (compared to 72% in 2010) say if they want something expensive, they would rather save up for it than put it on their credit card.

• Compared to 2010, when shopping an increasing number of adults say that:  they look for the lowest prices (67% from 59% in 2010); they shop around to take advantage of special offers (68%from 62%); that price is the most important factor in choosing a product or service (43% from 39%). Also there has been a reduction in the number of adults who are prepared to pay extra for a better quality of service (from 68% in 2008 to 71% in 2010). The percentage of adults who say that they use a particular store for the main reason of price also rose from 36% to 40%.

Lynne Robinson, IPA research director, said: “The ways in which people live and consume media are changing due to the recession and the development of new technologies giving consumers more media channel choices and the ability to control when and how they consume media. TouchPoints provides a unique overview of these changes, charting where we are now and the leading trends.”