Groundbreaking study sheds light on Britain’s ethnic youth
In a bid to redefine how we think about ‘Generation Y’, Manning Gottlieb OMD has today unveiled a new study examining the way in which Britain’s ethnic youth are consuming media, their digital habits and how they’re staying connected.
In a UK first, ‘Our Ethnic Youth: Redefining Gen Y’ explores a “previously overlooked” audience which currently accounts for just over one in four of Gen Y, offering brands and marketers key insights into a diverse and important group.
Speaking to over 1,700 respondents aged 18-29 across ten different ethnicities, the study found that while Generation Y share some common characteristics, there are distinct differences between ethnicities in terms of attitudes and behaviours, social network use and general aspirations.
Britain’s ethnic youth were also found to have significantly wider and more diverse networks which they communicate much more frequently with than white British youth.
27% communicate with more than five friends in an average day, compared with 16% of white British youth; while 22% communicate with more than five family members on a typical day, compared with just 7% of white British youths.
In terms of self-promotion, 61% of Britain’s ethnic youth agreed that it was very important to share their positive experiences to as many of their network as possible, compared with under half of white British youths.
The group were also found to be significantly more aspirational than their white British counterparts, with 34% agreeing that having their right designer labels is important (18% for white British) and 47% agreeing that having the latest technology and gadgets is important for a person’s image (32% for white British).
Britain’s ethnic youth consume much more mainstream digital, print and radio, with 70% regularly reading a newspaper compared with 60% of white British youths.
Social media use was also found to be significantly greater, particularly for Instagram, Google+ and Tumblr.
Commenting on the research, Alison Tsang, head of insight at Manning Gottlieb OMD, said: “Despite real and perceived barriers in researching ethnic audiences, I believe we’ve conducted research, and created insights which fill a genuine knowledge gap on an important and increasingly influential audience.
“Giving our under 30 Ethnic Youth population a vital mouthpiece has resulted in fresh, up to date insights which are hugely beneficial to our agency, clients and media partners. It’s all part of our commitment here at Manning Gottlieb OMD, at delivering sharper, relevant insights which push the boundaries of our work.”
Other key insights
– Purchasing a new car is much more of a priority for Britain’s Asian and Black youth (44% and 40%, respectively, putting it in their top three priorities), compared with 33% of white British youth.
– 46% of Britain’s ethnic youth still tap into ethnic media with cinema, TV and websites the most popular channels.
– 60% of Britain’s ethnic youth agree that ethnic traditions are still an important part of their lives.
– 59% of Britain’s ethnic youth agreed that they are often consulted on topics where they are known as an ‘expert’, compared with 47% of white British youth.
– 23% of Britain’s ethnic youth share music, articles, films/videos online that they have made themselves, compared with 12% of white British youth.
– 78% of Britain’s ethnic youth think that looking good is important, compared with 64% of white British youth; while 80% of Britain’s ethnic youth agree keeping fit is important, compared with 66% of white British youth.