U.S. Regional Trends: Demographics, Attitudes and Consumer Behavior

Abstract

This fully updated Packaged Facts report provides a detailed and wide-ranging survey of demographic trends, consumer attitudes and behaviors in six U.S. geographic regions: Northeast, East Central, West Central, Southeast, Southwest and Pacific. An introductory chapter employs key government and private sector data sources to provide an overview of major national trends and point out notable differences between the regions, while also surveying the economic and social trends set to shape regional demographics and attitudes in the future, to help marketers in a wide variety of industries meet the evolving needs of local markets across the country. Region-focused chapters draw on uniquely cross-tabulated Simmons Market Research Bureau consumer survey data for Spring 2007 to paint a comprehensive picture of consumer demographics, opinions and behaviors. For each region, the report provides detailed tables on:

• Household demographics, including income, home ownership, household composition and metropolitan-area density.
• Population and individual demographics, including age, race, education and occupational data.
• Politics and religion, including organizational affiliations and attitudes on the environment, faith and other issues.
• Family, social, and work life, including attitudes on child-rearing, self-perceptions and occupational preferences and aspirations.
• Shopping, including attitudes about keeping up with the latest trends and the influence of friends and family; opinions on advertising, brand name and price considerations; and retail store preferences.
• Finance, including attitudes about researching and purchasing financial services and making retirement investments.
• Automobiles, including opinions on the importance of style and safety, domestic vs. foreign cars and research and purchasing habits.
• Media and Technology, including awareness of and opinions on ads in various media; personal use of magazines, newspapers, radio, television and movies; and shopping habits in technology and electronics.
• The Internet, including attitudes about and uses of the Internet; and online information-gathering and shopping behaviors.
• Apparel, including attitudes about fashion, function and comfort; and opinions on the importance of name-brand labels and major retailers.
• Food, including general preferences about food, eating out and cooking at home; opinions and habits related to diets and dieting, fast food and convenience foods; and attitudes related to good nutrition.
• Medicine, including attitudes on doctor visits, prescription and non-prescription medications, and methods of researching health issues
• Fitness and Sports, including data on individual participation in nearly 50 sports and fitness activities.
• Kids and Teens, on a region by region basis, including demographic data and young people' s attitudes and behaviors related to family, leisure, finance, media and music, food and sports.

Insightful analysis highlights key trends for each region, while also painting a broad portrait of each region' s unique character.