THE PSYCHOLOGIES OF THE COVID-19 CONSUMER

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THE PSYCHOLOGIES OF

THE COVID-19 CONSUMER

FROM DATA TO MEANING

® sample provided by

THE COVID-19 CONSUMER

Updates on Sentiment and Behavior

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Issued: 7/30/20

Research Overview

Online survey fielded biweekly in

the U.S. (see next page for details)

Survey focus on Coronavirus 19

(C19) attitudes and self-reported

behavior changes related to C19

concerns

Methodology

Sample

Research Goal

A random selection of U.S. consumers

• N=~500 per wave

(except wave 19, where N=1,000)

Census balanced:

• Age

• Gender

• Ethnicity

• Region

• Household income

To monitor the impact of C19 on

consumers as it relates to various

aspects of their daily lives

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Issued: 7/30/20

Research Overview: Wave Interviewing Dates

W12 W12 W12 W13 W13 W14 W14 W15 W15 W16 W16 W17 W17 W16 W18 W18 W19 W19

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FROM DATA TO MEANING

®

READ THE REPORT AND TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

© RTi Research 2020

(July 30, 2020)

WHICH ARE YOU?

THE PSYCHOLOGIES OF

THE COVID-19 CONSUMER

THE COMFORTABLY UNFAZED

THE DELIBERATE HESITATER

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Issued: 7/30/20

Segment Size

(% of U.S. Population)

Base: The Comfortably Unfazed (169), The Deliberate Hesitater (282), The Down-and-Outer (224), The Adaptable Worrier (325)

17%

28%

33%

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Issued: 7/30/20

Key Segment Characteristics

Base: The Comfortably Unfazed (169), The Deliberate Hesitater (282), The Down-And-Outer (224), The Adaptable Worrier (325)

Less

More

C19 Impact on Daily Life

Comfortably_Unfazed Deliberate_Hesitater Down-And-_Outer Adaptable_Worrier

Comfortably

Unfazed AdaptableWorrier

C19 Concerns

DeliberateHesitater Down-And-Outer

Fiscal Concerns

Deliberate_Hesitater Comfortably_Unfazed Down-And-_Outer Adaptable_Worrier

Health Concerns

Comfortably_Unfazed Deliberate_Hesitater Down-And-_Outer Adaptable_Worrier

Deliberate Hesitater

Extent Changing Behaviors

Down-And-_Outer Comfortably_Unfazed Adaptable_Worrier

Comfort Doing Activities Today

Down-And-_Outer Deliberate_Hesitater Adaptable_Worrier Comfortably_Unfazed

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Comfortably Unfazed

Quite frankly, I think this COVID thing is overblown.

I don’t deny that it’s happening, but the threat is being

exaggerated.

So we’re not really worried about it. First of all, we’re in good

health. For years we’ve been eating right, taking care of ourselves.

And we’ve been taking care of our finances as well. We own our

house and have made good investments.

As for our lifestyle not much, if anything, has changed. We still eat

at restaurants, meet with our friends, go to the mall and the gym,

get our hair cut, go to the dentist.

Like I said, COVID may be real, but I can’t really say it’s made much

of a difference in how we live or spend our money.

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Comfortably Unfazed

Numbers in italics represent indices relative to Total U.S. for Wave 19. An index >120 is higher than average; an index <80 is lower than average. Base: The Comfortably Unfazed (169)

% Index

Extremely/Very Much 19 44

Not Very Much/Not At All 43 215

Extent to Which C19 is Impacting Daily Life

% Index Personal Health

Extremely/Very Worried 9 23

Not Very/Not At All Worried 64 229

Family’s Health

Level of Worry About…

% Index Current Personal Financial Situation

Long-Term Personal Financial Situation

% Index

I like to spend free time with family/friends 80 110

I stand up for what I think is right, regardless of what

others think 78 101

I am optimistic about life in general 75 115

My personal finances are in order 70 121

I find time for personal growth/me-time 64 96

I like to follow a well-organized routine 63 95

Sometimes I need to disconnect from social media 61 92

I am committed to living a healthy lifestyle 53 90

I think the threat posed by the coronavirus is

exaggerated 52 163

I always like to have plenty to do 52 90

It's a priority for me to create time for personal

wellness 41 80

I'm concerned about the current state of my

community 40 67

I like to share expert advice from others 39 85

I worry a lot about money 28 56

I'm worried about how changes caused by the

coronavirus pandemic have affected my children 25 56

There are too many decisions to make in life 24 56

I find it hard to fit everything into my day 22 54

I know the latest trends before most of my friends 17 55

I feel overwhelmed by life's difficulties 16 40

I am always concerned about what others think of me 14 45 Agree with General Lifestyle Attitudes

17%

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Comfortably Unfazed

% Index

Getting takeout/delivery from a restaurant 67 160

In-person meeting with a doctor/dentist 66 189

Eating at a restaurant 57 228

Shopping at a small, independent business 57 190

In-person gathering with family from outside HH 56 193

Going to a barbershop or hair/nail salon 55 204

Going to a non-essential retail store 55 196

Face-to-face meeting with a professional 51 189

In-person gathering with friends from outside HH 50 200

Personal wellness activities outside your home 47 174

Staying at a hotel/resort 43 215

Buying something using store-provided financing 40 167

Exercising at the gym 37 206

Traveling in the U.S. via airplane 33 183

Going to a sports or entertainment event 30 167

Activities Comfortable Doing Today

% Index Gender Male 50 104 Female 49 94 Age Gen Z (18-23) 5 42 Millennials (24-39) 23 79 Gen X (40-55) 28 108 Boomers (56-74) 37 128 Silents (75+) 7 175 Household Income Less than $35,000 34 103 $35,000 to under $75,000 36 124 $75,000 to under $100,000 9 75 $100,000 or more 20 77 Kids in Household

Have Kids in Household 21 68

Region Northeast 13 72 Midwest 25 119 South 42 114 West 20 87 Business Owner Yes 7 37

Have Someone at High-Risk to Contract C19 in Household Yes 49 96 Demographics Avg. Age: (51, 112) Avg. Income ($000s): ($72, 91) % Index

Cooking meals at home 83 106

Taking vitamins/supplements 60 100

Saving money 55 108

Eating healthy foods 55 93

Buying canned/frozen/boxed foods or meals 52 98

Keeping a stocked pantry 50 89

Buying lower-priced brands 43 96

Exercising at home 41 80

Eating unhealthy foods 38 103

Buying liquor/wine/beer to drink at home 36 95

Using contactless payments 31 78

Cutting your own hair 23 66

Trying new brands 19 66

Shopping online for groceries w/ home delivery 12 43

Shopping online for groceries w/ store pickup 12 41 Activities Likely to Do in the Next Month

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Comfortably Unfazed

% Index

A decrease in C19 cases compared to today 17 77

The release of a C19 vaccine/treatment 17 57

The government to approve this activity 15 83

A period of time after the government

approves this activity 15 75

To see other people return to this activity first 14 88

No more C19 cases in my state 12 52

No more C19 cases in the U.S. 8 32

An improvement in my financial situation 7 50

Nothing, I'm already doing this 22 367

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 21 117

Sports/Entertainment Events/Movies

% Index

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 3 33 Eating at Restaurants

% Index

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 8 53 Traveling

% Index

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 4 50 Shopping in Retail Stores

% Index

Going to Grooming Establishments Signals Will Wait for Before Returning to…

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Deliberate Hesitater

Compared to a lot of folks, we’re doing fine. I’m still getting a

paycheck and my husband is, too. Plus we have savings. On top of

that, we’re in good physical shape. No medical issues, thank

goodness. So things are pretty much in control.

That doesn’t mean we’re not concerned. COVID-19 is real, and it’s

dangerous. So we’re kind of deliberate in taking precautions. We

avoid eating out or shopping at stores for anything non-essential.

Basically we stay away from whatever brings us into

face-to-face-contact with people, especially groups.

Our lives have changed, for sure, and we’re dealing with it. But we

look forward to getting back to our “old normal.”

We’re hesitant, waiting for a signal for when we can return to the

life we had. That could be a vaccine, or no more C19 cases in the

country, or even no more cases just in our state.

One last point: I’ve gotten into exercising at home, which I rarely

did before C19. Pretty sure I’ll continue that as things move ahead.

It’s strange. Maybe COVID has some healthy side effects!

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Deliberate Hesitater

Numbers in italics represent indices relative to Total U.S. for Wave 19. An index >120 is higher than average; an index <80 is lower than average. Base: The Deliberate Hesitater (282)

% Index

Extremely/Very Much 38 88

Not Very Much/Not At All 20 100

Not Very/Not At All Worried 25 109

% Index

others think 88 114

I find time for personal growth/me-time 80 119

I am committed to living a healthy lifestyle 79 134

I like to spend free time with family/friends 78 107

My personal finances are in order 76 131

I like to follow a well-organized routine 75 114

I always like to have plenty to do 74 128

Sometimes I need to disconnect from social media 70 106

community 68 113

wellness 66 129

I like to share expert advice from others 50 109

I find it hard to fit everything into my day 35 85

There are too many decisions to make in life 31 72

I know the latest trends before most of my friends 27 87

I worry a lot about money 27 54

exaggerated 24 75

I feel overwhelmed by life's difficulties 24 60

I am always concerned about what others think of me 23 74 Agree with General Lifestyle Attitudes

28%

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Deliberate Hesitater

% Index

Getting takeout/delivery from a restaurant 40 95

In-person meeting with a doctor/dentist 26 74

Personal wellness activities outside your home 20 74

In-person gathering with family from outside HH 20 69

Going to a non-essential retail store 18 64

Shopping at a small, independent business 18 60

Buying something using store-provided financing 17 71

Face-to-face meeting with a professional 17 63

Going to a barbershop or hair/nail salon 17 63

In-person gathering with friends from outside HH 14 56

Eating at a restaurant 12 48

Staying at a hotel/resort 11 55

Exercising at the gym 8 44

Traveling in the U.S. via airplane 7 39

Going to a sports or entertainment event 7 39 Activities Comfortable Doing Today

% Index

Cooking meals at home 85 109

Eating healthy foods 69 117

Taking vitamins/supplements 67 112

Exercising at home 63 124

Keeping a stocked pantry 61 109

Buying canned/frozen/boxed foods or meals 55 104

Using contactless payments 43 108

Buying liquor/wine/beer to drink at home 39 103

Buying lower-priced brands 34 76

Eating unhealthy foods 26 70

% Index Gender Male 54 113 Female 46 88 Age Gen Z (18-23) 9 75 Millennials (24-39) 26 90 Gen X (40-55) 24 92 Boomers (56-74) 36 124 Silents (75+) 6 150 Household Income Less than $35,000 29 88 $35,000 to under $75,000 29 100 $75,000 to under $100,000 11 92 $100,000 or more 31 119 Kids in Household

Region Northeast 19 106 Midwest 17 81 South 41 111 West 23 100 Business Owner Yes 15 79

Have Someone at High-Risk to Contract C19 in Household Yes 55 108 Demographics Avg. Age: (49, 107) Avg. Income ($000s): ($87, 110)

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Deliberate Hesitater

% Index

The release of a C19 vaccine/treatment 39 130

No more C19 cases in my state 30 130

A decrease in C19 cases compared to today 29 132

No more C19 cases in the U.S. 28 112

approves this activity 23 115

The government to approve this activity 20 111

To see other people return to this activity first 16 100

Nothing, I'm already doing this 1 17

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 15 83

Sports/Entertainment Events/Movies Signals Will Wait for Before Returning to…

% Index

No more C19 cases in the U.S. 27 123

approves this activity 24 126

To see other people return to this activity first 20 133

The government to approve this activity 19 127

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 7 78 Eating at Restaurants

% Index

Traveling

% Index

The release of a C19 vaccine/treatment 24 120

No more C19 cases in my state 24 120

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 6 75 Shopping in Retail Stores

% Index

A decrease in C19 cases compared to today 24 120

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 14 78 Going to Grooming Establishments

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Adaptable Worrier

I’ve always been a worrier. And for good reason: life gives you a lot to

worry about. Especially now with COVID 19.

The whole thing is so confusing and overwhelming.

I worry about keeping safe and keeping my kids safe. And, of course,

I worry about money. Not only for now, but down the line.

And I worry about maintaining as much of a “normal” life as I can,

and providing a normal life for my kids. So, sure, we’ll go out and

meet friends, have playdates, and even go to a restaurant now and

then, but we take precautions (and even then, I still worry whether

I’m doing the right thing).

What helps relieve the worry is some of the changes I’ve made in

what I buy and how I shop. More and more I shop online. And I’m

open to buying new brands that look interesting or helpful, or that

could save me money.

So, all in all, we’re adapting as much as we can. And if that takes

away some of my anxiety, even just a little bit, it’s a big help.

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Adaptable Worrier

Numbers in italics represent indices relative to Total U.S. for Wave 19. An index >120 is higher than average; an index <80 is lower than average. Base: The Adaptable Worrier (325)

% Index

Extremely/Very Much 57 133

Not Very Much/Not At All 11 55

Extremely/Very Worried 55 138

Not Very/Not At All Worried 14 50

% Index

I like to spend free time with family/friends 72 99

others think 70 91

Sometimes I need to disconnect from social media 66 100

I worry a lot about money 63 126

community 63 105

coronavirus pandemic have affected my children 61 136

There are too many decisions to make in life 58 135

I like to share expert advice from others 58 126

I know the latest trends before most of my friends 55 177

I feel overwhelmed by life's difficulties 54 135

I find it hard to fit everything into my day 53 129

My personal finances are in order 53 91

wellness 52 102

I am always concerned about what others think of me 49 158

exaggerated 39 122

Agree with General Lifestyle Attitudes

33%

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Adaptable Worrier

% Index

Getting takeout/delivery from a restaurant 42 100

In-person meeting with a doctor/dentist 37 106

Shopping at a small, independent business 36 120

Going to a barbershop or hair/nail salon 34 126

Face-to-face meeting with a professional 34 126

Personal wellness activities outside your home 34 126

In-person gathering with family from outside HH 34 117

Buying something using store-provided financing 32 133

In-person gathering with friends from outside HH 32 128

Going to a non-essential retail store 32 114

Eating at a restaurant 31 124

Going to a sports or entertainment event 29 161

Exercising at the gym 27 150

Traveling in the U.S. via airplane 27 150

Staying at a hotel/resort 27 135

% Index

Cooking meals at home 70 90

Eating healthy foods 63 107

Keeping a stocked pantry 61 109

Shopping online for groceries w/ store pickup 59 203

Exercising at home 58 114

Using contactless payments 57 143

Taking vitamins/supplements 57 95

Buying canned/frozen/boxed foods or meals 56 106

Buying lower-priced brands 55 122

Shopping online for groceries w/ home delivery 52 186

Cutting your own hair 48 137

Eating unhealthy foods 48 130

Buying liquor/wine/beer to drink at home 47 124

Trying new brands 45 155

Activities Likely to Do in the Next Month

% Index Gender Male 48 100 Female 52 100 Age Gen Z (18-23) 22 183 Millennials (24-39) 43 148 Gen X (40-55) 23 88 Boomers (56-74) 11 38 Silents (75+) 2 50 Household Income Less than $35,000 22 67 $35,000 to under $75,000 28 97 $75,000 to under $100,000 16 133 $100,000 or more 35 135 Kids in Household

Have Kids in Household 48 155

Region Northeast 18 100 Midwest 21 100 South 35 95 West 26 113 Business Owner Yes 35 184

Have Someone at High-Risk to Contract C19 in Household Yes 41 80 Demographics Avg. Age: (37, 80) Avg. Income ($000s): ($92, 116)

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Adaptable Worrier

% Index

An improvement in my financial situation 18 129

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 13 72 Sports/Entertainment Events/Movies

% Index

Eating at Restaurants

% Index

An improvement in my financial situation 20 118

Traveling

% Index

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 11 138

Shopping in Retail Stores

% Index

Nothing, I won't do this in the future 12 67 Going to Grooming Establishments

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Down-And-Outer

Money’s always been a problem for me. I’ve never had enough.

So COVID hasn’t really changed my life all that much. Things were

tough before, they’re tough now, and they’ll be tough tomorrow.

Not to say I’m not concerned. To the contrary: I’m extremely

worried about my health and my family’s health. Partly because we

don’t have the money to take care of things if we get sick. So we do

all we possibly can to keep safe.

But despite all the drama around COVID, our lives are pretty much

the same. We weren’t going out much before—to restaurants and

such—because we couldn’t afford it. And we still can’t. So it’s not

like we’re developing any new habits or anything, or spending what

little money we have in a new way.

I’ll definitely feel relieved when they come up with a vaccine or a

treatment.

But, like I said, the big problem in my life—having enough money—

is gonna stay just the way it’s always been.

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Down-And-Outer

Numbers in italics represent indices relative to Total U.S. for Wave 19. An index >120 is higher than average; an index <80 is lower than average. Base: The Down-And-Outer (224)

% Index

Extremely/Very Much 46 107

Not Very Much/Not At All 18 90

% Index

I worry a lot about money 76 152

others think 73 95

I like to spend free time with family/friends 64 88

Sometimes I need to disconnect from social media 63 95

community 59 98

I feel overwhelmed by life's difficulties 58 145

There are too many decisions to make in life 49 114

I find it hard to fit everything into my day 43 105

I am optimistic about life in general 42 65

wellness 36 71

My personal finances are in order 33 57

I like to share expert advice from others 30 65

I am always concerned about what others think of me 25 81

exaggerated 17 53

I know the latest trends before most of my friends 13 42 Agree with General Lifestyle Attitudes

22%

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Down-And-Outer

% Index

Getting takeout/delivery from a restaurant 27 64

In-person meeting with a doctor/dentist 20 57

Shopping at a small, independent business 15 50

Face-to-face meeting with a professional 13 48

Going to a non-essential retail store 13 46

In-person gathering with family from outside HH 12 41

In-person gathering with friends from outside HH 11 44

Personal wellness activities outside your home 10 37

Buying something using store-provided financing 9 38

Going to a barbershop or hair/nail salon 9 33

Eating at a restaurant 7 28

Traveling in the U.S. via airplane 5 28

Staying at a hotel/resort 5 25

Going to a sports or entertainment event 4 22

Exercising at the gym 4 22

% Index

Cooking meals at home 76 97

Taking vitamins/supplements 54 90

Keeping a stocked pantry 48 86

Buying lower-priced brands 47 104

Buying canned/frozen/boxed foods or meals 46 87

Eating healthy foods 42 71

Exercising at home 34 67

Eating unhealthy foods 32 86

Saving money 29 57

Buying liquor/wine/beer to drink at home 24 63

Using contactless payments 19 48

% Index Gender Male 40 83 Female 60 115 Age Gen Z (18-23) 7 58 Millennials (24-39) 17 59 Gen X (40-55) 30 115 Boomers (56-74) 42 145 Silents (75+) 4 100 Household Income Less than $35,000 54 164 $35,000 to under $75,000 25 86 $75,000 to under $100,000 9 75 $100,000 or more 12 46 Kids in Household

Region Northeast 21 117 Midwest 24 114 South 33 89 West 22 96 Business Owner Yes 11 58

Have Someone at High-Risk to Contract C19 in Household Yes 63 124 Demographics Avg. Age: (51, 111) Avg. Income ($000s): ($57, 72)

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Issued: 7/30/20

The Down-And-Outer

% Index

Sports/Entertainment Events/Movies

% Index

Eating at Restaurants

% Index

Traveling

% Index

Shopping in Retail Stores

% Index

An improvement in my financial situation 10 100

Going to Grooming Establishments Signals Will Wait for Before Returning to…

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Issued: 7/30/20