To follow-up on a story I posted here earlier this week [see “As household income decreases,” below, posted 9/28/10], new analysis from the census bureau suggests that the trend toward delayed marriage is becoming even more dramatic, and the gap between low-income and affluent is getting bigger. For one example of the coverage about this analysis, click here to see the Associated Press story from WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Implications: If you needed any more evidence that the great recession has inspired long-term change in consumer behavior, this story provides it.
In several recent Consumer DNA workshops—where I help a group of marketing professionals explore findings in qualitative data—we’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about this fundamental point: Traditional families don’t look all that traditional anymore. In some cities, the number of adults who live in a two-adult household (but are not married) is larger than the number of people who could be described as, “Married with (1+) children.”
I’ve been looking forward to the wealth of information that should come from the 2010 census for quite some time. While most details won’t publish until early 2011, watch for more fascinating previews to be revealed beginning in October.
If you're a marketer, don’t just think of the census as a set of population statistics. Think of it as Consumer Anthropology.
Mike Anderson
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