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Introduction
has experienced tough economic times of late. However, in the past few months a breath of fresh air seems to have blown into the country. The instability caused by an impending election has passed, and Australians are ready to see change with a new Government in place (whether they like that government or not!). This fresh start, and possibly other factors, appears to have put Australians in a better mood than they were in June 2013. In fact, 45% of Australians are in a positive mood (with a further 13% neutral). So what exactly has contributed to this better mood and what are Australians still concerned about?
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just seems to be getting better and better at the
A word on segmentation in this report
This report has been segmented into various stages of life that may impact significantly on how the world is perceived and the economic pressures felt.
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Australians are happier now than they were in June 2013
Overall people seem to be in a more positive mood now than what they were in June this year. Whilst this may be attributed to the stability instilled by a new federal government and people looking forward to the Summer holidays, the fact remains that people are more positive than they were four months ago. Empty Nesters are the most positive segment. This group seems to be
comfortable financial position, their family life is good and they believe the future holds bright things. So what sort of words did people use to describe their mood?
5 When you think about your mood generally about your life, lifestyle, country, economy etc, what ONE WORD June n=4066 October n=1128
Australians are happy and content
6 When you think about your mood generally about your life, lifestyle, country, economy etc, what ONE WORD would you use n=1128
We asked Australians how they felt about their current life, lifestyle, country and economy and these are
Overall, Australians are feeling positive in particular content, happy and good.
Australians are a positive bunch
7 Thinking about your life overall, including your family, lifestyle, country, economy etc, what ONE WORD would you use to best describe your MOOD right now? Why? n=93
Family, job and health are the top 3 things making Australians happy right now. Family really does seem to come first for Australians with 1 in 4 respondents saying family played a part in their happiness.
have thought their job would make Australians happy but apparently it does. While many Aussies are just happy to have a job at the moment, for plenty of others, having a good job was an important factor in their happiness. We might be one of the most obese countries in the world but apparently our health is making us happy right now.
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future looks good
everything in my life at the moment is going well
are very lucky. We have our health, secure employment, time for leisure and family and have no financial stress
family are all well, my lifestyle is comfortable, our economy will improve under the new government and then the cost of living should settle
my family is healthy and happy, I have a job I love, I think the country is still the lucky country and the economy is tight but you can still live
just seems to be getting better and better at the
When you think about your mood generally about your life, lifestyle, country, economy etc, what ONE WORD would you use n=1128
Happy & Content are common moods
Overall, Australians appear to be feeling happy and content. They do feel a bit tired and stressed but
possibly an indication of their less-pressured way of life.
9 Thinking about your life overall, including your family, lifestyle, country, economy etc, what ONE WORD would you use to best describe your MOOD right Free as a Bird N=249 Family Flock n=287 Empty Nesters n=141
All segments are happy and content
10 just so we can narrow it down a little, from the following list, which word or words best describes your mood at the moment Free as a Bird N=249 Family Flock n=288 Empty Nesters n=141
Positive and optimistic also start to creep in.
So how do people feel the MOST right now?
People are mostly happy but there is an underlying feeling of frustration and concern
Overall people are positive, with 61% of people selecting positive
moment. Content was the most common response, with more than most at the moment.
Additionally, 1 in 5 people are feeling happy at the moment.
there still remained an underlying feeling of frustration and concern. So what might be causing people to feel frustrated and concerned at the moment?
11 Source : SCAR Consumer Sentiment Study, October 2013,
Crime & violence is the top concern for Australians.
Our previous Mood Monitor saw energy availability & affordability as the top concern for Australians. However, four months on, and crime and violence has now taken top spot. This is most likely a reflection
some states and the resulting heavy media coverage. Energy prices are certainly still a concern for Australians, with almost 1 in 3 people listing this as a concern. Are different lifestages affected by different concerns?
12 Source : SCAR Consumer Sentiment Study, October Worried n=1131
JUNE OCTOBER
Crime & violence is a worry across the lifestages but Family Flocks are still hard hit by energy prices
Whilst crime & violence are a concern across each lifestage, it appears that Family Flocks are still feeling the pinch when it comes to energy availability and affordability. Education and illegal immigration are also on
13 Very worried n=1131 Free as a Bird N=249 Family Flock n=288 Empty Nesters n=141
Australians are still concerned about grocery prices
The June Mood Monitor report saw 93% of respondents saying that they had been impacted by rising grocery prices 68% of them majorly or moderately. The October study showed that the impact may be lessening slightly. 93% of people still said they had been impacted but 65% said that it was majorly or moderately. Families also went from 78% being majorly or moderately impacted in June, to 73% in October.
14 Source : SCAR Consumer Sentiment Study, June 2013, & October 2013 Flock n=1386 Empty Nesters n=500 / n=1131 Free as a Bird N=249 Family Flock n=288 Empty Nesters n=141
So what does this mean?
As the media is constantly reporting, most nations are experiencing economic downturns to some degree and Australia is no different although we have fared much better than many. Post election, it appears that Australians are in a much better mood than they were in June 2013. Overall, they are feeling positive. They are happy and content with just an underlying frustration and concern. With this happier mood may well come an increase in spending in the next few months. In fact, Australians are expected to spend in excess of $28billion in December alone a rise of 2.2% from last year. Christmas and holiday spending will largely contribute to this but there remains opportunity for advertisers to get their slice of the spend. Only time will tell but it might just be a very merry Christmas for Australians in 2013!
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political uncertainty, and the post-financial crisis nervousness has dissipated, leaving Australians more confident about their economic Karen Dobie Ibisworld Australia, General Manager
The winners this Christmas season: Online sales, video games and eating IBISWorld Australia, 25 November 2013
Respondent Breakdown
This slide gives a brief overview of the respondents who took part in the Consumer Sentiment study.
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0%
17%
13% 14% 13% 13% 11%
13%
3%
Under18
18-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55+
Study Methodology
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. The survey was conducted by Southern Cross Austereo using its online panel nationally. The panel is obtained from our radio networks database under the
Network. All members of these databases would be considered listeners to these stations. The database contains about 217,000 members. The is split between the Today VIP database and the Triple M database. Members of the Today VIP Database were asked to take part in the study. Consumer Sentiment Study October 2013 All members of this community were invited to complete the survey, and 631 did so. Additionally, 500 external respondents were recruited to complete the survey. Members of this database have no knowledge of Southern Cross to either network.
of response OR brands/words that first came to mind. A keyword search was used to sort and rank the responses to these questions. The results are an un-weighted sample, but are reflective of the Southern Cross Austereo audience. SCA brands reach approximately 40% of the 10+ population and approximately 46% of the 25-54 population in the five metropolitan markets in Australia, suggesting it would be reasonable to consider these results to be a fair if not fully balanced representation of the opinions in these marketplaces. Furthermore, as it is an online survey, the respondents would also be
general and likely to be a good early indication of brand leaders, trend setters and early adopters in general. These research surveys conducted by Austereo are done so to provide a general understanding of the opinions, interests and attitudes of the metropolitan marketplaces only.