Seasonal FOMO Disorder, labor shortages, the tension between optimism and the pandemic and more new data.

Note: This is an email I send internally every other week when we release a new wave of the Ipsos Coronavirus Consumer Tracker. But I thought I'd share it with you all, too. Should I keep posting this? Let me know in the comments.

COVID-19 cases are RISING in more than half of the states, but the booster is rolling out further and kids 5 and up can now get the vaccine. So, we’re racing against time?again. Much of Europe is trying to thwart a FIFTH wave and heading back in lockdown (at least for the?unvaccinated). Consumer sentiment is relaxing and improving, however. Our data shows in many ways that the traditionally more-hesitant vaccinated majority are ready to go back into the world. Or back into the indoor parts of it. We’ll see how that works out in coming weeks.??

?Here’s what we know today from the?Ipsos Coronavirus Consumer Tracker:?

• ?A big shift in the IPAC starts us off: we’re now at 50/50 on the coping/improving chart – a 7-point swing since last wave. That’s the most upbeat split we’ve seen since the delta wave took hold and the vaccinated retreated in July.??
• We’ve been asking if personal concern about catching COVID-19 has increased or decreased mid-August and we have our most optimistic splits there, too.??
• 34% have started holiday shopping. 22% more will this month.??
• 45% are more comfortable dining indoors than they were a month ago. 34% say the same about going to their workplace – both bumps over when we last asked in Wave 39.?

Read on for data about: Labor shortages, holiday budgets, seasonal FOMO disorder and more.?

Labor shortages?

Why we asked:?Labor shortages are still a widespread issue rippling across the economy, so we re-asked this question and added a couple of new options. We added some options because anecdotally some of us have experienced restaurants who have ceased delivery (driver shortages, business model challenges, paused legal restrictions on delivery of alcohol being reinstated).??

What we found:?Most have experienced some delays across food and retail experiences as well as shipping delays for products they have purchased online. Shipping delays were a major concern/obstacle to online purchase intent in a previous wave, and it seems now to be a justified concern based on experience. 10% of Americans (and 100% of the Ipsos NA editorial team) have experienced restaurants pulling back from hybrid options, as logistics trump consumer demand.?

Holiday shopping?

Why we asked:?By the end of the month, most will have begun their holiday shopping. In a previous wave we found that people were most likely to give gift cards (55%) and clothing and apparel (51%). But how are we feeling budget-wise??

What we found:?Overall, people are rather evenly split on whether they plan to spend more (25%) or less (21%) compared to last year. Those with higher incomes are much less likely to say they will spend less – just 11% of those making over $100,000.???

Fear Of Missing Out?

Why we asked:?Winter is coming to the parts of America that have seasons. Would that cause people to do more indoor activities with other people and “get on with it?”?

What we found:?Basically, yes. 69% will do more indoor activities than they they did this summer – interestingly with very little regional differences. 52% will dine indoors more often, and 70% will allow their kids to have more indoor playdates (possibly also due to increased vaccine availability). When asked why in a separate question, the weather and related fear of missing out was the biggest driver (43%) followed by feeling more comfortable about the state of the pandemic in the area.?

Our concern for ourselves and others?

Why we asked:?A theme that has emerged broadly in our research is that people are both very concerned about their own situation but simultaneously concerned about the world around them – even if they’re not actively taking part in it all the time.??

What we found:?People are certainly more introspective, with 42% saying they are more focused on the things that “really matter” to them. 32% say they are more focused on their mental health and well-being. But only 16% say they are taking specific action for others and society. 37% haven’t changed how they think about their personal or social responsibility.?

ICYMI: Here is our coverage from the previous wave’s data?

• Americans are reuniting at Thanksgiving this year?

Signals?

Here’s what we’re reading today that has us thinking about tomorrow.?

• It’s NFT week in New York?as a major NFT conference takes place, Times Square billboards are taken over by NFT studios, creator Beeple is a guest on The Tonight Show;?and as?CNN?said, “There's now a McRib NFT and what are we even doing anymore?”[BM1]??(www.nft.nyc)?
• Vertex and Mammoth Labs?raised $695m for a gene-editing CRISPR collaboration, further demonstrating the importance of this technology.?(via GEN)?
• Joneigh S. Khaldun?was named the first Chief Health Equity Officer for CVS. Health equity is a topic we have covered in?What the Future?and is a rising concern for the industry.?(via?Fierce Healthcare)?
• Your car will monitor your wellbeing:?A number of new technologies are on the horizon that will allow your vehicle to keep track of your attentiveness and maybe even monitor your vitals – and take action if you seem in danger of driving in an unsafe state.?(via?MotorTrend)?

For complete toplines for all waves, please?see the full data and methodology.?

This has been brought to you by Matt Carmichael, VP Editorial Strategy, on behalf of Ipsos. If you’d like receive it directly, email?[email protected].?