July 2021 - Consumer Mindset

“They think it’s all over…”

While watching the Euros final between England and Italy, you could have believed that the global pandemic was over. As thousands of supporters packed into Wembley, the British Government was effectively signalling to the world that they believed they have defeated Covid.

However, public opinion polls in the UK show that 50% want Covid-19 rules to stay in place, rather than celebrating Boris’s Freedom Day on the 19th July.

Foreseeing the Future

The UK experience provides Ireland with a future prediction of what could occur. While the majority of both populations are now fully vaccinated, the Delta variant of Covid-19 is more transmissible, and like the UK, Ireland is now entering the fourth wave of this pandemic.

Our Cultural Index tracker shows that Delta is the news story of this month and as a result has informed the public sentiment in this month’s Consumer Mindset report.

While there continues to be more people optimistic about over-coming the situation, the peak of ”little concern” in June has declined, with an increase in people saying they are very or extremely concerned about the Covid-19 situation.

Nation divided regarding Delta

69% say they “are concerned about the Delta variant,” but this is lower for 25-34 year olds, with only 49% of this group having this concern. There is also mixed opinion on whether the Government is planning well for the fourth wave. 46% trust the Government is planning, while 34% do not trust there are plans in place (20% have no opinion).

The Pace of Re-Opening

There are similar levels of counter-opinion when it comes to the pace of re-opening. 40% of the population believe “we are opening too slowly, and we should re-open everything this month,” while 47% disagree with this view. 25-34 year olds are most likely to agree we should open up, and are also enthusiastic about getting the vaccine.

However this age group is also least likely to feel it is fair that fully vaccinated people can eat or drink indoors. While a majority of the population (61%) believe this Government policy is fair, 46% of 25-34 year olds, most of which are not vaccinated, agree with this measure. Despite wanting the vaccine, 34% of this age group feel this is unfair.

The Consumer Mindset report will continue to track generational differences of opinion which are important for any brand to acknowledge as we transition through the pandemic.