GWI Kids: New data set uncovers the rising generation of consumers

London, UK:

The largest international kids data set helps brands understand their youngest but often most influential audience, and a new report uncovers the following trends for kids these days:

• Equality & sustainability are top of mind for teens: Girls aged 12-15 are much more likely than boys to say they can do any job they want to (57% v. 31%) and value voicing their opinions more highly than their male counterparts.
• Streaming is a family affair: A third of kids aged 12–15 say they decide what shows and films their families watch.
• Kids are tomorrow’s shoppers: 15% of 12–15s say they’ve made a digital purchase in the last week, rising to a quarter among those who have access to a bank account.

GWI, the leading target audience company, today announced the launch of its new data set, GWI Kids and accompanying report, ‘Kids These Days’. The largest international data set provides brands, content providers and media agencies with unique insights into their youngest audience: kids.

GWI Kids delves into the attitudes, behaviours and beliefs of 15,418 kids and teens aged 8–15. Uniquely tailored to bring their perspectives to the surface, GWI Kids uncovers children’s expectations of brands today, and builds a true, authentic understanding of this audience. GWI Kids has been designed to help brands and other organisations understand the priorities, concerns and lifestyles of this generation and, in doing so, better meet their needs.

Data you can trust to be ethical

The survey used to compile the data set is fully opt-in, requiring both the child and parent to consent before participating, and provides parents with sufficient information about the study to help them make an informed decision about their involvement. This adheres with guidelines set out by the MRS and ESOMAR, as well as requirements of COPPA and GDPR.

The data is also confidential and anonymous, meaning brands cannot access or identify participants’ information or personal details. GWI Kids can only be accessed by brands for the purposes of drawing insights to inform their brand strategy, new product development, or new content types.

“When it comes to younger audiences, many brands lack the insights into how kids think, feel and interpret the world around them,” says Jason Mander, Chief Research Officer at GWI.

“GWI Kids is changing that. Your audience might not be who you think they are, and this data set enables you to hone in on this younger consumer group and tailor content, messaging and your brand strategy to suit them. This young yet often highly influential audience can now be understood – and when you understand your audience, success will follow.”

Report findings: Kids These Days

‘Kids These Days’ reveals that this forward thinking audience could shape the future of brands’ content as a rising influence across the entertainment and retail industries.

Equality & sustainability are top of mind for teens

Girls aged 12–15 are not only just as likely as boys to say they’re confident, but their confidence also shines through in other attitudes. They’re much more likely than boys the same age to say they can do any job they want to (57% v. 31%) and value voicing their opinions more highly than their male counterparts (47% v. 42%).

Youth today are being raised with an emphasis on equal opportunities, and so brands need to do their part to reflect this and ensure girls and women are equally represented in campaigns, media, and messaging.

Pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours are top of mind for today’s teens. 44% of 12–15 year olds say caring for the planet is important to them, which is higher than priorities typically associated with this age group, like caring about peers’ opinions (28%) or being up-to-date on the latest fashion trends (23%).

This is reflected in their expectations of brands when it comes to environmentally friendly practices and CSR policies more broadly. Living and breathing these values should be every brand’s top priority.

Streaming is a family affair

Kids play a leading role in their families’ streaming preferences, having significant influence over what shows and movies they watch, and in turn, which subscriptions are signed up to.

Two thirds (64%) of kids aged 8–11 watch TV shows with their parents always or most of the time, and over half (56%) of those aged 12–15 do so. Crucially, around a third of 12–15 year olds say they decide what they watch.

Big streaming players including Netflix, YouTube and Disney+, as well as challengers like Paramount+, are aiming to grab a slice of the family entertainment pie, with the likes of Netflix’s ‘Sweet Tooth’ and Disney’s ‘Cruella’ raking in the views in recent weeks.

To be successful, streaming services need to make sure they're catering to young people as well as adults.

Kids are tomorrow’s shoppers

Some teens are already making digital purchases; 15% of 12–15s have made one in the last week, rising to a quarter among those with a bank account they can access.

Around 1 in 3 teens also turn to social media to engage with their favourite brands, and they have certain content preferences – funny posts and memes both resonate really well with teens.

This kind of content can be balanced with posts that reiterate a company’s CSR and commitment to addressing wider societal issues, which we know are important to this group.

“Kids are the next generation of consumers, so it’s crucial to incorporate their values in your brand strategy," Jason explains. "Attitudes expressed at this age are also a good indication of how tomorrow’s consumers will think and act, and what traits are likely to set them apart.

"As our research shows, kids are extremely influential in consumption habits, so it’s crucial to consider the thoughts and behaviours of this younger audience and tailor your ideas accordingly. Ideas work better with solid insight behind them, and so placing this audience front and centre will drive the most success."

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Editor’s notes:

Where are further insights?

Further GWI Kids insights can be found in GWI’s recent report, Kids These Days, or via GWI’s media cheat sheet.

Methodology

Figures in this release have been drawn from the GWI Kids data set, GWI’s online research among 15,418 internet users aged 8–15. The survey has been fielded in the following 14 markets: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, UK and USA.

The process of interviewing children, as opposed to adults, has a number of key methodological considerations, and as such the design of the questionnaire in GWI Kids differs from other GWI surveys in a number of ways. Due to the differing abilities of children of different ages, many questions are asked separately to children aged 8-11 and those aged 12–15.

The survey has been meticulously designed so that all questions are mobile friendly and easy to understand, making it an ideal format for kids.

For 8–11s, questions were simplified as much as possible. For example, rather than asking about interests, 8–11s were asked “I really like…” and then shown a list of simple interests. Additionally, technical terms like “internet” and “online” were avoided throughout, as respondents may not understand what is done on the internet and what isn’t.

In this case, rather than directly asking 8–11s what they like to do on the internet, they were asked about their activities on internet connected devices, for example phones, laptops and tablets.

For 12–15s, questions can be closer in form to an adult survey. However, questions were less in depth and written in a way to reduce the possibility of misinterpretation. Lists were shortened and subjects were dwelled on for less time to reduce the possibility of boredom.

For both age groups, respondents were guided through the survey, with clear instructions and guides given throughout. Across both age groups, only suitable topics were asked about. Necessary questions that were not appropriate to ask of children, such as ethnicity, income and gender, were asked of their parent/guardian instead.