Intensions Study on Global News

Last month Global News published an article titled, 'What makes a man? Millennials say selflessness, openness, personal health'. Written by Monique Scotti, the article was based on the findings from our recent Intensions Consulting and UBC study on The New Values of Millennial Men.

"Young men in Canada are increasingly breaking away from traditional stereotypes" Image: Global News

To quote from the article: "Ninety-one per cent of respondents agreed that a man should help other people, the results showed, and about 80 per cent believed that a man should give back to his community. A full 88 per cent said a man should be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new people. Black said the shift in stated priorities may be part of a broader societal change, and that men are increasingly seeing themselves as caregivers."

For a full copy of the article, please click the link below:

- https://globalnews.ca/news/4169861/millennial-men-selflessness-openness-health-study

Intensions Consulting: New Values of Millennial Men

Last month Intensions Consulting and the University of British Columbia released a new study examining the values of millennial men.

Dr. John Oliffe, UBC

The study surveyed 630 young men ages 15-29 in Western Canada and found that the most strongly endorsed masculine value is selflessness. Ninety-one per cent of the men agreed that a man should help other people, and 80 per cent believed that a man should give back to the community. Openness also ranked highly—88 per cent said a man should be open to new ideas, new experiences, and new people—and so did health, with a majority of participants saying that men should be healthy or in good shape.

More traditionally “male” values ranked lower on the scale, but were still valued by the majority participants. Seventy-five per cent of the men said that a man should have physical strength, compared with those who said a man should have intellectual strength (87 per cent) or emotional strength (83 per cent). Autonomy also tracked lower with 78 per cent of the men agreeing that a man should be “independent.”

“Young Canadian men seem to be holding masculine values that are distinctly different from those of previous generations. These values may run counter to long-standing claims that young men are typically hedonistic, hypercompetitive, and that they risk or neglect their health,” said lead author John Oliffe, a nursing professor who leads the men’s health research program at UBC.

Nick Black, managing partner at Intensions Consulting and a study co-author, believes many young Canadian men are expanding their definition of masculinity to include values like openness and well-being.

“As a millennial myself, I can see these values reflected in the lives of men around me,” said Black. “They want to be both caring and strong, both open to others and self-sufficient, and they see no contradiction in these values.”

Oliffe says more research is needed to include other age groups and geographical locations, but adds that the current results could be useful for designing more effective men’s health-care programs. “The life expectancy gap is closing between men and women, and I hope that additional gains are mustered through these emerging health-related values – and our continued work in men’s health,” said Oliffe.

ABOUT THIS STUDY

This study, conducted by Intensions Consulting and the University of British Columbia, involved qualitative interviews with a sample of 30 Canadian males between the ages of 15 and 29, and an online survey with a sample of 600 Canadian males between the ages of 15 and 29. The study was published last week in the journal Psychology of Men & Masculinity. For a copy of the detailed findings, please click: http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-16007-001

Intensions Study on Global News & CTV

Last month, Global News and CTV aired television segments discussing the findings from our recent Intensions Consulting study on Men's Sleep. Both the the Global News story titled, 'Study finds one in three Canadian men are sleep-deprived', and the CTV story titled, 'Sleepless in Canada', used our research to help raise awareness about men's sleep patterns.

To watch the Global News segment, please click the link below:

To watch the CTV segment, please click the link below:
 

Intensions Consulting: Men's Sleep Study

This month the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) and Intensions Consulting released a new study examining the sleep habits of Canadian men.

Dr. Larry Goldenberg, CMHF

The study, which surveyed 500 Canadian men between the ages of 30 and 49, found that a third (33%) of men are only getting 4 to 6 hours of sleep each night. This amount of sleep is much lower than the 7 to 8 hours recommended by health experts, and may explain why nearly half of Canadian men (49%) said they often wake up feeling tired or not refreshed in the morning.

“Men may be surprised to learn that getting at least 7 hours of sleep is a great way to speed up your metabolism, reduce your chances of having a heart attack, prostate cancer and developing type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Chairman of the CMHF. “In some cases, for men experiencing erectile dysfunction, the cause may be OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) which is characterized by snoring and breathless spells during sleep. Overall, sleep impacts your health and well-being.”

When exploring evening routines that could contribute to this lack of sleep, the study found that 45% of Canadian men often stay up late watching television, 41% often stay up late browsing the Internet, and 34% often eat food before going to bed. All three of these evening routines are easy to change, and all three were found to have a significant impact on the average amount of sleep men get each night.

“It’s can be tough to switch off electronic devices before you go to sleep, but the mind needs time to unwind,” said Shea Emry, CMHF Champion and retired CFL linebacker. “Guys shouldn’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep to ensure a healthy state of mind for their mental health and well-being.”

ABOUT THIS STUDY

These are the findings of an Intensions Consulting study conducted between April 26, 2016 and April 29, 2016, on behalf of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. For this study, an online survey was administered with a sample of 500 English-speaking Canadian men between the ages of 30 and 49. The sample was stratified to reflect the distribution of Canadian men aged 30 to 49 living in different Canadian provinces, according to Census 2011 data. A traditional unweighted probability sample of this size would produce results considered accurate to within plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For more information about this study, please click here.

Intensions Study on the BBC

On April 19, 2016, the BBC published an article titled, 'Truth be told, we're more honest with robots.' Written by Bryan Borzykowski, the article included findings from our recent Intensions Consulting study on the Future of Work across Canada.

"People really are more truthful when they disclose information to a computer." Image: BBC

To quote from the article: "People are more open with automated tools because they believe computers don’t judge and that they’re more ethical, studies show. A study, released in March by Vancouver, Canada-based market research firm Intensions Consulting found that 26% of Canadian adults believed an unbiased computer program would be more trustworthy and ethical than their workplace leaders and mangers. That number was even higher with younger adults — those aged 20 to 39 —at 31%. The study also found that 26% of Canadians would rather be screened, hired and have their job performance assessed by an unbiased computer program."

For a full copy of the article, please click the link below:
- http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20160412-truth-be-told-were-more-honest-with-robots

Intensions Consulting: Mental Health Literacy

This month Intensions Consulting and the University of British Columbia published a new study in the Journal of Mental Health, under the title, 'Men's depression and suicide literacy: a nationally representative Canadian survey.'

The study, which surveyed 901 English-speaking Canadian adults, found a number of gaps in men's depression literacy, with over a third of Canadian adults (38%) incorrectly believing that having several distinct personalities may be a sign of men’s depression, and almost a quarter of Canadian adults (23%) incorrectly believing that men with depression often speak in a rambling and disjointed way.

"These findings highlight some significant misconceptions and literacy gaps around men's mental health" says Nick Black, Managing Partner at Intensions Consulting and one of the study co-authors. "Among Canadian adults, there appears to be some confusion between depressive symptoms and the symptoms associated with other mental illnesses."

On the topic of men's suicide a similar lack of literacy was found, with a third of Canadian adults (33%) incorrectly believing that men talking about suicide always increases the risk of suicide, and almost a quarter of Canadian adults (23%) incorrectly disbelieving that men who want to attempt suicide can change their mind quickly.

"Misconceptions about men talking about suicide increasing their risk for suicide invokes silences and stigma around men’s mental illness" says John Oliffe, Professor at the University of British Columbia and the lead investigator at Men’s Health Research. "Flowing from that, men with suicidal thoughts don’t feel safe to express what they are experiencing – and potential helpers tend to avoid such conversations fearing they might inadvertently trigger the man’s self-harm.”

Given the evidence that mental health knowledge can increase with education, which in turn reduces stigma and improves help-seeking behavior, the study concluded that more concerted efforts are needed to advance public literacy on the topics of men’s depression and suicide.

ABOUT THIS STUDY

These are the findings of an Intensions Consulting study conducted between August 29, 2014 and September 11, 2014 on behalf of Men’s Health Research at the University of British Columbia. For this study, an online survey was administered with a sample of 901 English-speaking Canadian adults between the ages of 18 and 83. The sample was stratified and weightings were employed to balance demographics, ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the targeted Canadian population according to Census data, and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A traditional unweighted probability sample of this size would produce results considered accurate to within plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For a full copy of the published study and data tabulations, click here.

Intensions Study in Fusion

On March 29, 2016, Fusion published an article titled, 'Report: A quarter of Canadians think a computer program would be more ethical and trustworthy than their fleshy bosses'. Written by Ethan Chiel, the article discussed findings from our recent Intensions Consulting study on the Future of Work across Canada.

"Affinity for code-based beings is creeping slowly into the Canadian workplace". Image: Elena Scotti / Fusion

To quote from the article: "A recent survey found that a quarter of Canadians believe that a computer program could perform better than their human boss. The study, performed by Intensions, a Vancouver consulting firm, surveyed 2,299 adult Canadians (over the age of 20) over the last six months and found that 26% of Canadians believe an unbiased computer program would be more trustworthy and ethical than their workplace leaders and managers.”  

To read a full copy of the article, please click the link below:
- http://fusion.net/story/285999/canadian-workers-robot-bosses-beep-boop-i-want-that-report-on-my-desk/

Intensions Consulting: The Future Of Work

This month Intensions Consulting and Nikolas Badminton released a new study on the future of work across Canada. The study, which surveyed 2299 adults across Canada, found that a quarter (26%) of Canadian adults believe an unbiased computer program would be more trustworthy and ethical than their workplace leaders and managers. Among younger adults (those aged 20-39) that number was significantly higher, with 31% agreeing that an unbiased computer program would be more trustworthy and ethical than their workplace leaders and managers.

"This study has uncovered some challenging trends for the future of work" says Nick Black. Photo: VFS

For younger adults, who have grown up trusting and relying on technology, there seems to be a growing preference for automated leadership and management - with 34% preferring to be screened or hired, 33% preferring to have their job performance assessed, and 26% preferring to be managed by an unbiased computer program.

FLEXIBILITY IS FOREMOST

At a time of technological change and financial pressure, many people are also beginning to question the rules and norms that govern working life. The data showed that Canadian adults have a strong desire for flexibility in their working life, and if employers aren’t willing to respond, many would consider working for themselves.

"Flexibility and empowerment will be the new work currencies" says Nikolas Badminton.

The study found that 55% of Canadian adults would like their employer to provide extended leave opportunities, 45% would prefer not to work at fixed times (i.e. 9am - 5pm), 41% would prefer not to work at a fixed location (i.e. at an office), 34% would prefer to work from a remote or overseas location, and almost half (45%) would like to start their own business or work for themselves in the future.

FIGHTING FOR CONTROL

Finally, many people are also concerned that work is interfering with their personal lives. Whether it’s cutting corners to save time, or paying other people to do their job for them, Canadian adults are considering some unique ways to take back control at work.

According to the study, 37% of Canadian adults are concerned that work responsibilities are interfering with their personal lives, 30% are always looking for new ways to cut corners and save time at work, 25% think it’s fair to pursue their own projects and interests at work (i.e. developing a business or promoting their own brand), and amongst younger adults, 20% would consider paying other people to do their job for them (i.e. using Craigslist or Freelancer).

ABOUT THIS STUDY

These are the findings of an Intensions Consulting study conducted between August 21, 2015 and February 25, 2016. For this study, an online survey was administered with a sample of 2,299 English-speaking Canadian adults between the ages of 20 and 59. The sample was stratified and weightings were employed to balance demographics, ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the targeted Canadian population according to Census data, and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A traditional unweighted probability sample of this size would produce results considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Intensions Consulting at the Ranching Opportunities Conference

Last month Intensions Consulting was proud to present at the Ranching Opportunities Conference in Alberta. Organized by Olds College, the event was designed to help producers and students, "discover new ways to manage their livestock, explore options for marketing their product, and learn about the challenges and achievements of successful ranchers."

The presentation was reported in a Mountain View Gazette article titled, 'Ranching industry urged to stress positives.' Written by Dan Singleton, the article covered many of the key findings we shared on  domestic and global beef consumers.

For more information on the article, please click on the link below:

- http://www.mountainviewgazette.ca/article/Ranching-industry-urged-to-stress-positives-2016021

Intensions Consulting on Our First Birthday

The start of 2015 was an exceptionally exciting time for Intensions Consulting, with our team conducting research across seven countries and uncovering hidden insights for clients in the health & lifestyle, food & beverage, higher education and financial service categories.

With all the international travel, in-depth interviews and data analysis, we totally forgot to celebrate our first birthday. So now that the dust has settled and the data has been digested, we'd like to share a few birthday facts and feelings.

Intensions Consulting was founded on May 9, 2014, with the aim of helping clients find hidden insights and market opportunities. While many great research firms exist in the world, very few combine statistics and psychology the way that we do. 

It's through this combination of facts and feelings, that we deliver our unique perspective on human experience and behaviour. To quote one of our clients, Dr. Angela Greter, "many research studies have been conducted around the world on consumer preferences and buying behaviour... however, none of these were quite like the research completed by Intensions."

One year on, hundreds of interviews in, thousands of surveys later, we feel honoured and humbled by the incredible staff, partners and clients who have helped to bring Intensions Consulting to life. We would like to thank each and every one of you for your trust, dedication, intellectual power and support - without you Intensions would not exist.

Like an infant Intensions Consulting is rapidly growing, constantly curious, and has an almost limitless capacity for cognitive development. We're excited to celebrate our first birthday, and as a developmental psychologist might say, we can look forward to "assimilating experiences and building new schemas" as we continue to grow.

Happy Birthday Intensions Consulting!

Intensions Consulting Men's Depression & Suicide Study

Last month the Men's Depression and Suicide Network released a small portion of an Intensions Consulting study exploring the levels of public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide in Canada. The team at Intensions are proud to contribute our expertise and assistance to this important Movember funded mental health project. If you would like to read the original article you can click here, otherwise a copy is provided below:

Canadian Survey on Men's Depression & Suicide

A national survey has found that almost one quarter of Canadian men surveyed have considered or attempted suicide, and almost half of them have a close male family member or friend diagnosed or treated for depression. The study, by the University of British Columbia’s Men’s Depression and Suicide Network, found low levels of stigma toward others who experience mental health difficulties, but that many men hold negative attitudes about having a mental illness themselves. The survey sampled 901 English-speaking Canadian adults aged 18 to 83.

“These findings show us that a lot of guys hang onto paralyzing negative attitudes about being depressed themselves,” said the network’s co-director Dr. John Ogrodniczuk. “This points to the need for more interventions and programs to help men overcome the difficulty they experience in getting help from a health-care professional.”

Some Survey Highlights

- 23% of Canadian men surveyed have been diagnosed or treated for depression.

- 23% of Canadian men surveyed have considered or attempted suicide.

- 26% of Canadian adults surveyed have a close male family member or friend who has discussed or attempted suicide in the past 10 years.

- 46% of Canadian adults surveyed have a close male family member or friend who has been diagnosed or treated for depression in the past 10 years.

About the Study

These are the findings of a survey conducted by Intensions Consulting between August 29 and September 11, 2014 on behalf of the Men’s Depression and Suicide Network. For this survey, a sample of 901 English-speaking Canadian adults aged 18 to 83 from an online panel were interviewed. The sample was stratified and weightings were employed to balance demographics, ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. While sampling error cannot be estimated for non-probability samples such as the sample used to conduct this survey, a traditional unweighted probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 4.6 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About the Men's Depression & Suicide Network

In 2013, Movember, a global fundraising movement to raise awareness of men’s health issues, funded the Men’s Depression and Suicide Network. This partnership includes ongoing research and evaluation of how network programs and initiatives are influencing public awareness of male depression and suicide. The Men’s Depression and Suicide Network currently has five projects underway, all with the aim of improving the mental health and wellbeing of men (and their families) of differing ages and life stages. The network’s co-directors are UBC professors John Ogrodniczuk and John Oliffe.

Milking Memories: Five Steps from Insight to Campaign

This month I co-authored an article for the Market Research & Intelligence Association titled, 'Milking Memories.' Appearing in VUE Magazine, the article shared findings from two years of research we conducted on behalf of the Canadian dairy industry. If you'd like to read the original article you can view it here, alternatively a transcribed version is available below. 

To start this article, let’s go back – way back into your childhood. What are your earliest memories of milk? What do you remember doing, seeing and experiencing in relation to milk? How do these memories make you feel? If you’re feeling warm and fuzzy, you may be experiencing nostalgia, a physiological state that’s been shown to make people feel loved, protected and physically warmer (Zhou et al., 2012).

Digital Teens - The Drivers of Digital Behavior

Over the past month, our team have been conducting a study into the online motivations of digital teens. The study involved morphological interviews and online surveys with 1905 digital teens, and provided some interesting insights into the online behavior of teenagers.

"The internet has multiple personalities. You can do multiple things on the internet… For some teens, the internet is their best friend, because they can have fun with it, they can connect with it. They can do whatever they want with it. It allows them to be whoever they want.” - Digital Teen (2012)

Highly Connected

To begin with, our study found that digital teens are highly connected. When exploring the personal ownership of internet enabled devices, we found that 79% of digital teens own a personal computer, 51% have their own smartphone, and 24% own a personal tablet. 

Selectively Engaged

However, despite their level of online connection, digital teens can be surprisingly selective with their friendships and attention. Our study found that the average digital teen had only 4 close friends, and considered 14 people to be in their social network. Furthermore, 97% of digital teens said they were happy with these friendships.

In terms of online attention, our study found four destinations that digital teens tended to visit on a daily basis: 72% of digital teens use search engines daily, 65% use Facebook daily, 57% watch online videos daily, and 30% play online games daily. In contrast, despite the media hype, 85% of digital teens have never used Pinterest, and 63% have never used Twitter.

The Drivers of Digital Behavior

Highly connected but selectively engaged, digital teens can be a challenging audience. So what are the drivers of digital teen behavior, and how can they be harnessed by brands? Find out by viewing the following Slideshare presentation:

Digital Teens: The Drivers of Digital Behavior from Nick Black

The Future of Digital is Mobile

Occasionally, whilst foraging for knowledge berries on the internet, you stumble upon a patch of tasty information. This was the case on Sunday when I read an article by John Naughton titled, "Real cost of the smartphone revolution: The smartphone market is expanding at an astonishing rate, but is it damaging creativity and innovation on the web?"

The article referenced a May 2012 conference presentation written by the industry analyst Mary Meeker from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Drawing from a range on secondary sources, the presentation puts forward a compelling view of current and future digital activity.

While there are numerous insights and trends from Meeker in the deck, I've pulled out two highlights that I found of particular interest.  

Insight One: The Future of Digital is Mobile

At present mobile traffic represents 10% of global internet traffic, but according to Meeker while "internet growth remains robust, rapid mobile adoption is still in [its] early stages" and will likely impact global desktop internet usage (see recent data from India below).

Insight Two: Companies Need to Think Mobile

The opportunity for mobile innovation to 're-imagine,' or disrupt, stable categories like finance, energy and retail is immense. Industries and companies that fail to proactively develop strategies for dealing with the shift to mobile are likely to lose market share.    

For those that are interested in the full presentation, a copy can be found below:  

KPCB Internet Trends 2012

Defining Community Trust at TEDx

Back in November 2011, I had the opportunity to present on the topic of community trust at TEDxSFU. Community is an abstract concept, and as an audience member I found it interesting to observe the way in which different speakers attempted to define it. 

The Definition of Community 

During the event, some speakers expressed a more traditional perspective on community; while others described community from a more progressive perspective. Some focused on the importance of control and structure in community; while others emphasized individuality and freedom. Below are a few quotes to help illustrate how different some of the community perspectives were: 

"Governments at all levels are now legislating consultation and need more accurate tools to validate their decision making... We've had some online consultation thus far, but it's met with varying degrees of success... because consultation has been largely anonymous and does not stand up to scrutiny." - Speaker 1 (Structure Oriented) 

"Social media is revolutionary in velocity and scale. It's being used as a tool for revolutions and the effect it's going to have on Government is going to be massive... Like we've seen in Egypt, in London and in Occupy, geeks are resourceful and they'll find ways to get information out." - Speaker 2 (Individuality Oriented) 

In my opinion, community isn't defined by any one of these perspectives - community is defined by all of them. Like any human concept, community is full of paradoxes and contradictions. Only by embracing these contradictions can you begin to understand what truly creates a community. 

The Topic of Community Trust 

For those of you that are interested, below is a video from my presentation at TEDxSFU. Like all research we conduct, it attempts to unify and explain contradictions in human motivation. In this case, it looks at the topic of community trust among leaders and public institutions.

The Five Stages of Travel

Heading into the annual holiday and travel season, I thought you may appreciate a study undertaken by Google on 'The Five Stages of Travel.' While the data itself is relatively bland, the use of infographics managed to engage me in the experience. Happy Holidays.

Stage One - Dreaming:

Stage Two - Planning:

Stage Three - Booking:

Stage Four - Experiencing:

Stage Five - Sharing:

The Community Trust Report

Over the last month, I’ve been involved in a study that explored the topic of community trust in public institutions and political leaders. The study involved online surveys with 1500 people from Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and used the HuTrust model to measure the psychological drivers of trust. Last week, The Community Trust Report was shared for the first time at TEDxSFU.

Figure 1: When people trust their community, 80% will report a crime 

The Benefits of Community Trust

Trust is at the core of a community. Many of the social actions and interactions that embody the idea of ‘community’ are predicated on the need for trust. In fact, our research showed that when people trust their community, 80% will ‘help their neighbors,’ 80% will ‘report a crime to authorities,’ 73% will ‘vote in elections,’ and 54% will ‘volunteer more of their time.’ 

Political Trust in Montreal

From a political point-of-view, our research had some interesting findings on trust in Canadian politics. On average, only 19% of people surveyed in Montreal said they trusted Prime Minister Stephen Harper, versus 44% in Toronto and 46% in Vancouver. 

Among those surveyed in Montreal, the psychological driver that most reduced trust in Stephen Harper was found to be Vision; meaning that people ‘felt his values were less appealing.' In contrast, among those surveyed in Toronto and Vancouver the psychological driver that most increased trust in Stephen Harper was found to be Stability; meaning that people ‘felt he had a strong foundation.’ 

Police Trust in Vancouver

From a social point-of-view, our research has some interesting findings on trust in Police. On average, only 65% of people surveyed in Vancouver said they trusted the Vancouver Police Department, versus 78% in Toronto who trusted the Toronto Police Service, and 80% in Montreal who trusted the Montreal Police Service. 

Figure 2: The VPD are significantly less trusted than the TPS

Among those surveyed in Vancouver, the psychological drivers that most reduced trust in the Vancouver Police Department were Relationship and Competence; meaning that people ‘felt they were less great to deal with,’ and ‘felt they were less able to deliver what they promise.’

Community Trust at TEDxSFU

The theme for TEDxSFU was community engagement, and it attracted speakers including Jim Chu (Chief, Vancouver Police), John Furlong (CEO, Vancouver 2010 Olympics) and Ryan Holmes (CEO, Hootsuite). Below is a copy of the presentation I made at the event, which includes some of the findings from The Community Trust Report.

The Community Trust Report from Concerto Marketing Group

Digital Moms: The Drivers of Digital E-motion

Back in March 2011, I was involved in a proactive study that explored the online motivations and drivers of digital mothers (mothers who spent a period of time online).

The market psychology study involved in-depth morphological interviews and online surveys with 500 North American Moms. The outcomes from the study were designed to coincide with a keynote presentation we made at the 2nd Annual Marketing to Digital Moms Conference.

While there’s no shortage of metrics and statistics on the digital environment, the data can often fail to capture the personal human experience of online activity. As our study found, the digital actions of mothers are often influenced and impacted by a range of deeper motivations and feelings. Posting a photo can be a form of self-expression. Online shopping can reflect a desire for change. A status update may be driven by the desire for connection.

“For me it’s about getting the box, opening the box, and looking at all the stuff I bought. But as soon as I open it and look at it, it doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I don’t really know why… There’s something about me that likes the process of ordering, and looking and clicking, and getting, and opening, and then it’s like, okay I’m done.” - Digital Mom (2011)

Digital e-motion is the term we used to describe this deeper combination of action and motivation, and below is a presentation that contains some of the results from our research on the digital e-motions of mothers.

Digital Moms: The Drivers of E-motion from Nick Black

Masculinity in American Culture

Over the past few months I've been spending quite a bit of time in the United States – both for business and pleasure. In contrast to many European and Asian countries, one aspect of American culture that always surprises me is the degree to which they embrace ‘masculinity’ in their everyday lives. 

From the way that meetings are conducted, to the car brands that people prefer, masculinity seems to play an important role in mainstream American culture.

Defining Cultural Masculinity

For almost half a century, the famous social psychologist Prof. Geert Hofstede has been conducting research based on six dimensions of culture. One of those six dimensions is masculinity, a cultural dimension in which “social gender roles are clearly distinct: Men are supposed to be assertive, tough, and focused on material success; women are supposed to be more modest, tender, and concerned with the quality of life.”

Below is a table outlining the social norms frequently found in masculine cultures:

Bigger, Faster, Harder, Stronger

According to the research, America is considered a higher masculinity country, meaning that many of the masculinity attributes listed above also reflect mainstream American culture. To wrap up this post, I thought I’d provide a few practical examples of how masculinity can influence everyday American behavior.

Muscle cars are defined by Merrium Webster as, “American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines.” These powerful cars are an icon of American masculinity, with research showing that “engine power of a car is more important in masculine cultures. In feminine cultures, people may not even know their car engines power.”

Madison Avenue is arguably the home of global advertising, located in New York City, the home of American corporate culture. According to research, “masculine cultures show more confidence in the advertising industry… [it’s believed that] the skepticism of feminine cultures toward advertising is based on their markets having been relatively swamped by advertising reflecting US masculine values.”

In America, information is often presented rationally. According to research, “across cultures it appears that feminine cultures read more fiction and masculine cultures more non-fiction… Members of masculine cultures seem to be more concerned with data and facts: members of feminine cultures are more interested in the stories behind the facts.”

How Brand Trust affects Brand Choice

In a recent North American study on brand trust, we found that when people trust a brand, 78% will look to it first for the things they want. But what does this data really mean for companies and customers?

In everyday life we’re often faced with an excess of choice; from our groceries, to our relationships and even the articles we read online. With so many choices available, we often feel overwhelmed by selection. Indeed according to Prof. Barry Schwartz: “Though modern Americans have more choice than any group of people ever has before, and thus, presumably, more freedom and autonomy, we don't seem to be benefiting from it psychologically.”

Example: Consider the choices we face when trying to select so

me soap 

Because of the volume of choices we face, the role of trust becomes increasing important. Trust gives us a short-cut to decision making, a way to eliminate options. 

For example, if you’re single, you could attempt to seek out and develop relationships with strangers, or you could rely on your friends, family and colleagues to introduce you to people they know and trust. In this case, trust could help you reduce relationship choices.

Similarly, brand trust helps customers reduce choice. If a customer trusts Kraft, they’ll look to them first when they’re trying to make some Mexican food. If a customer trusts HSBC, they’ll look to them first when they’re planning to take out a home loan.

Example: Brand trust affects brand choice, by helping us eliminate options

When people trust a brand, 78% will look to it first for the things they want. In short, trust helps customers make choices. So if your brand is in a competitive category, and your customers have a lot of choice, perhaps you should start building brand trust.