In October 2021 we decided to take a look at how the Coronavirus pandemic has impacted the personal values and ambitions that drive us, and what any changes to our values and ambitions might mean for brands.

Our proprietary research study began with expert interviews with consumer and business psychologist Dimitrios Tsivrikos, wellbeing and life coach Leanne Evans, and cultural and consumer trends expert Ruth Marshall-Johnson, followed by an online survey with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 UK adults aged 16+. After a round of factor analysis to distil a range of data on personality, values and ambitions, we segmented the UK adult population into six groups based on how the pandemic has changed them. While almost everyone has experienced a complete shakeup of their values and ambitions during the pandemic, this segmentation reveals how the lived experience of it hasn’t been the same for everyone.

Head to our blog to meet all the segments, delve into the segment most impacted by the pandemic, compare three segments with very different experiences, and take a look at the implication for brands.

In October 2022 we ran a second wave of the research to understand the effect of the pandemic on our values and ambitions one year on, and to explore if these changes are being compounded by the current economic and political outlook. Take another peak at our blog to find out how segment sizes have changed, hear about a group we’ve called the Concerned and Constrained, and read about how we’re all navigating the cost-of-living crisis.