Research Roundup: New Ypulse Monitor/Report, TeenReads.com & More
Today we bring you another installment of the latest youth research available for sale or download. Remember if your company has comprehensive research for sale that focuses on youth between the ages of 8 and 24, email me to be included in the next Roundup.
Status Update on Gen Y’s Twitter Status Updates
Evidence of Twitter uptake among young adults comes from the latest report out of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. According to a September 2009 survey, 33% of online adults ages 18 to 29 use a status update service, a significant difference from the research firm’s previous poll on the subject in December 2008. This meant Gen Y’ers were more likely to tweet than users ages 30 to 49, who had previously been considered the core group for Twitter. The 18-24 year-old segment showed a particularly sharp spike from 19% to 37% reporting use of a status update. Very interesting. Now if only we had the breakdown of college students to recent grads… Cost: Free.
For more information: See the Pew site
A More Meaningful Digital Media Consumption
As it relates to digital native teens and college students specifically, the notion of quantity or volume has been upended by accessibility, context and relevance. Frankly speaking, the stats touting the number of Facebook friends teens and college students have or the number of text messages or emails they send during any given month are becoming increasingly less important, while the quality of their communications connections gain significance. The same is true for content consumption trends. We’ve reached the point where teens and college students have moved beyond so called content snacking and have instead become a heck of a lot more sophisticated and efficient in engaging with digital content platforms. Cost: $379
For more information: Go to the Youth Trends research store
Meet the Millennial Moms
It mat be hard for some Millennials (and their Boomer parents) to believe, but Gen Y (defined here as born between 1977 and 1996) are well within their baby-rearing years. These new uber-connected parents have been raised on the internet, email, text messaging and IM and quickly adopted social networking in their teens or early 20s. And in more ways than one resemble another powerful group of influencers: college students. Mr. Youth and RepNation Media released a whitepaper laying out similarities between the two demos (multi-taskers, community seekers and leaders, etc.) and making a case for why parents may be taking the lead as the “most connected and technology dependent population” and what this means for marketers.
For more information: Download the whitepaper here.
When It Comes To XX, Gen Y Sets The Trends
In the “Why Y Women” report, Pop Sugar examines Gen Y women’s sphere of influence of lifestyle trends, how technology and social media help them expand their sphere of influence, and how marketers can target and communicate with this group. The two-tier study of 1,018 women ages 18-49 was conducted by Radar Research to underscore the degree to which marketers must think and act differently when addressing this generation of women online. As part of a generation that grew up inundated with marketing messages, the study found they want to be addressed (surprise!) as individuals and can be skeptical of advertising and media. However, when they do find a brand they love, most are willing and eager to become brand advocates – looking to share and recommend through word-of-mouth online and off. Further widening the sphere of influence? The study revealed that two-thirds of Generation X women chose Generation Y women as the leaders when it comes to defining trends in pop culture. Cost:N/A
For more information: Read the press release
When is a phone not a phone?
In the hands of children and tweens, today’s cell phones are primarily used as text messaging devices, cameras, gaming consoles, video viewers, MP3 players, and incidentally, as mobile phones via the speaker capability so their friends can chime in on the call. Parents are getting dialed in to the social media phenomenon and beginning to understand—and limit—how children use new media. Questions are raised over how young is old enough for a phone? Do parents need technology to limit kids’ use of technology (or just good old-fashioned limits)? And where do brands fit into the mobile media landscape?
For more information: Go to the NielsenWire website.
What Do Teen Readers Want?
Teenreads.com, of TheBookReportNetwork.com, presents the results of a recent survey on how teen readers (i.e., bookworms vs more reluctant readers) react to changes in the marketplace and what influences their reading choices. The survey, though designed to attract male readers as well, drew females as the vast majority (96%) of responders pointing to an incidental observation (that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise) that perhaps more girls seek book information, and want to share their opinions, through Web sites. To that end, the survey covers the evolution of social media’s influence (social networks, book blogs, etc.) , attitudes towards e-book readers, how the recession has affected reading and more.
For more information: see the article in Publishers Weekly
October Ypulse Monitor: Shopping & Politics
In the October Ypulse Monitor we offer a quick snapshot of what’s driving youth with a look at the spending and saving habits of teens and collegians as broken down by gender and age group. Ypulse taps into the minds of more than 1,000 college students and 500 high school students to also find out their opinions on the most pressing political issues today. Not surprisingly. Job security and economic growth ranks high for nervous undergrads and teens alike.
For more information: go to the NEW Ypulse Research site.
October Ypulse Report: Shopping, Banking & Politics
The October Ypulse Report offers an in-depth look at shopping habits and financial services, as well as insight towards teens and college students’ attitude of the President one year after the youth-vote driven election. In a detailed analysis of spending and saving among teens and collegians, topics include the frequency and location of shopping trips and a rundown of the most common categories of expenses as broken down by age group. The second half of the report evaluates the current political climate through the perspective of teens and college students as compared with a study of adults ages 18+ conducted by NBC News and the Wall Street. While college students surveyed were more likely to approve of the job the President is doing, teens were less likely to approve than both older demographics. Also, there was far less certainty among teens and college students overall compared with adults. Cost: $499 for a single report or $3500 for an annual subscription, which includes a free subscription to the Ypulse Monitor.
For more information: go to the NEW Ypulse Research site.