Got your Valentine’s Day plans locked in? If you’re a boyfriend or husband who hasn’t, don’t worry – you’re not alone. According to our data, 1 in 10 men don’t start planning until the day before (sorry to spill the secret, guys).
Scroll down to read about the vibe shift, ultra-processed foods, and making do and mending.
Stats to power your week
🛃 With Donald Trump now in the Oval Office, attention is turning to what he calls “the most beautiful word in the dictionary”: tariff. But here’s the rub: Most people won’t pay extra for patriotism. 45% of Americans focus on finding the best deals, while only 29% make a point of buying US-made products. Politicians might champion home-grown goods, but price tags still speak the loudest. GWI USA
🤖 Across the pond, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced plans to “unleash” AI across the country in a bid to boost the sluggish economy. Regular readers of this newsletter will know the promise of tech is one thing, reality another – for his plans to succeed, he’ll have to overcome the country’s biggest fears of AI development, which are misinformation (40%) and data privacy (34%). GWI Zeitgeist
🍕Thanks largely to the work of Dr Chris van Tulleken, ultra-processed foods have become the big villain in the food world in the last few years. But how good are consumers at spotting them? Not too bad on the whole, but there are blind spots – 28% incorrectly believe canned vegetables are ultra-processed, while only 17% recognize infant formula is. GWI Zeitgeist
📱A quiet but telling shift just happened: more Americans discover new brands through social media ads (34%) than TV commercials (33%). It might be a small lead for now, but it’s a sign that social platforms are starting to outshine TV when it comes to grabbing consumers’ attention. GWI USA
What’s on our radar
Earlier this month the US Surgeon General called for new risk warnings on alcohol labels, similar to cigarettes. This has sparked discourse around its vices and virtues – with people more isolated than ever, are its pleasures and socialization benefits considered enough in the health conversation?
The use of AI to generate architectural designs and improve Hungarian speech in the highly acclaimed new film “The Brutalist” has raised some interesting questions. Will AI help more ambitious films be made on lower budgets? Is it the best choice when the film is about a craftsman? Does it make it less likely the film will win an Oscar, and if so, how might that affect adoption of the technology? Food for thought.
While the conversation around AI in the US and UK often focuses on potential downsides, in parts of the world where the tech could play a pivotal role in development, it’s a different story. A pilot study in Nigeria has shown the powerful results it can have in education, though another reveals history isn’t AI’s best subject.
In line with one of our 2025 trends, Anheuser-Busch is launching a new energy drink in a partnership that includes UFC mogul Dana White.
As with Apple, Costco is also pushing back against the trend of rolling back DEI initiatives.
Chart of the week
In July last year, economist Tyler Cowen wrote about “the changes in vibes” that could explain how Donald Trump went from “highly vulnerable, defeated President” to frontrunner for 2024. Since then, the concept of a “vibe shift” in America to more conservative viewpoints has taken hold.
But it’s not just intangible gut feeling – much of it has shown up in our data. Over the last four years, Americans have grown more conservative on immigration, less concerned about racism, and less trusting of the media.
But that doesn’t mean everything, or everyone, is suddenly “anti-woke”. Public opinion and sentiment is more nuanced – alongside the trends in the chart, we’ve also seen big growth for the WNBA and oat milk consumption. Not to mention, there’s a good chance public opinion will move against policy during the new administration, as it often does.
Local lowdown
Green and pleasant land
This week we’re shining a light on our home turf: the United Kingdom. Brits are famous for their self-deprecating humor, but is there anything they genuinely lead the world in?
Actually, yes. Our data shows British consumers are most likely to seek out high animal welfare standards in their food, and say they always try to recycle (whether they do or not is a question for another newsletter). Both points pass the history test: The UK was the first country to introduce animal welfare legislation, and the salvage campaigns of World War 2 (including the famous “make do and mend”) likely gave Britain a head start in reusing and repurposing.
Both stats also reflect some classic British traits: a sense of fairness and civic responsibility, where everyone’s expected to pitch in – or risk a collective glare if they don’t. If we tracked the art of queueing, we’re pretty sure Brits would claim top spot there too.
