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Introduction  

has  experienced  tough  economic  times  of  late.  However,  in  the  past  few  months  a  breath  of  fresh  air  seems  to  have  blown  into  the  country.  The  instability  caused  by  an  impending  election  has  passed,  and  Australians  are  ready  to  see  change  with  a  new  Government  in  place  (whether  they  like  that  government  or  not!).      This  fresh  start,  and  possibly  other  factors,  appears  to  have  put  Australians  in  a  better  mood  than  they  were  in  June  2013.  In  fact,  45%  of  Australians  are  in  a  positive  mood  (with  a  further  13%  neutral).      So  what  exactly  has  contributed  to  this  better  mood  and  what  are  Australians  still  concerned  about?    

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just  seems  to  be  getting  better  and  better  at  the    

A  word  on  segmentation  in  this  report  

This  report  has  been  segmented  into  various  stages  of  life  that  may  impact  significantly  on  how  the  world  is  perceived  and  the  economic  pressures  felt.    

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Australians  are  happier  now  than  they  were  in  June  2013  

Overall  people  seem  to  be  in  a  more  positive  mood  now  than  what  they  were  in  June  this  year.  Whilst  this  may  be  attributed  to  the  stability  instilled  by  a  new  federal  government  and  people  looking  forward  to  the  Summer  holidays,  the  fact  remains  that  people  are  more  positive  than  they  were  four  months  ago.      Empty  Nesters  are  the  most  positive  segment.  This  group  seems  to  be  

comfortable  financial  position,  their  family  life  is  good  and  they  believe  the  future  holds  bright  things.      So what sort of words did people use to describe their mood?

5   When  you  think  about  your  mood  generally  about  your  life,  lifestyle,  country,  economy  etc,  what  ONE  WORD  June  n=4066        October  n=1128  

Australians  are  happy  and  content  

6   When  you  think  about  your  mood  generally  about  your  life,  lifestyle,  country,  economy  etc,  what  ONE  WORD  would  you  use  n=1128  

We  asked  Australians  how  they  felt  about  their  current  life,  lifestyle,  country  and  economy    and  these  are    

                         Overall,  Australians  are  feeling  positive    in  particular  content,  happy  and  good.    

   

Australians  are  a  positive  bunch  

7   Thinking  about  your  life  overall,  including  your  family,  lifestyle,  country,  economy  etc,  what  ONE  WORD  would  you  use  to  best  describe  your  MOOD  right  now?  Why?  n=93  

Family,  job  and  health  are  the  top  3  things  making  Australians  happy  right  now.      Family  really  does  seem  to  come  first  for  Australians  with  1  in  4  respondents  saying  family  played  a  part  in  their  happiness.      

have  thought  their  job  would  make  Australians  happy    but  apparently  it  does.  While  many  Aussies  are  just  happy  to  have  a  job  at  the  moment,  for  plenty  of  others,  having  a  good  job  was  an  important  factor  in  their  happiness.      We  might  be  one  of  the  most  obese  countries  in  the  world  but  apparently  our  health  is  making  us  happy  right  now.      

   

 

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future  looks  good  

everything  in  my  life  at  the  moment  is  going  well  

are  very  lucky.  We  have  our  health,  secure  employment,  time  for  leisure  and  family  and  have  no  financial  stress  

family  are  all  well,  my  lifestyle  is  comfortable,  our  economy  will  improve  under  the  new  government  and  then  the  cost  of  living  should  settle    

my  family  is  healthy  and  happy,  I  have  a  job  I  love,  I  think  the  country  is  still  the  lucky  country  and  the  economy  is  tight  but  you  can  still  live  

 

just  seems  to  be  getting  better  and  better  at  the  

 

When  you  think  about  your  mood  generally  about  your  life,  lifestyle,  country,  economy  etc,  what  ONE  WORD  would  you  use  n=1128  

   

Happy  &  Content  are  common  moods  

Overall,  Australians  appear  to  be  feeling  happy  and  content.  They  do  feel  a  bit  tired  and  stressed    but  

possibly  an  indication  of  their  less-­pressured  way  of  life.      

9   Thinking  about  your  life  overall,  including  your  family,  lifestyle,  country,  economy  etc,  what  ONE  WORD  would  you  use  to  best  describe  your  MOOD  right   Free  as  a  Bird  N=249  Family  Flock  n=287  Empty  Nesters  n=141  

All  segments  are  happy  and  content  

10   just  so  we  can  narrow  it  down  a  little,  from  the  following  list,  which  word  or  words  best  describes  your  mood  at  the  moment Free  as  a  Bird  N=249  Family  Flock  n=288  Empty  Nesters  n=141  

Positive  and  optimistic  also  start  to  creep  in.    

So how do people feel the MOST right now?

People  are  mostly  happy    but  there  is  an  underlying  feeling  of  frustration  and  concern  

Overall  people  are  positive,  with  61%  of  people  selecting  positive  

moment.  Content  was  the  most  common  response,  with  more  than  most  at  the  moment.  

Additionally,  1  in  5  people  are  feeling  happy  at  the  moment.      

there  still  remained  an  underlying  feeling  of  frustration  and  concern.      So what might be causing people to feel frustrated and concerned at the moment?  

11   Source  :  SCAR  Consumer  Sentiment  Study,  October  2013,    

Crime  &  violence  is  the  top  concern  for  Australians.    

Our  previous  Mood  Monitor  saw  energy  availability  &  affordability  as  the  top  concern  for  Australians.  However,  four  months  on,  and  crime  and  violence  has  now  taken  top  spot.  This  is  most  likely  a  reflection  

some  states  and  the  resulting  heavy  media  coverage.      Energy  prices  are  certainly  still  a  concern  for  Australians,  with  almost  1  in  3  people  listing  this  as  a  concern.      Are different lifestages affected by different concerns?  

12  Source  :  SCAR  Consumer  Sentiment  Study,  October   Worried  n=1131  

JUNE OCTOBER

Crime  &  violence  is  a  worry  across  the  lifestages  but  Family  Flocks  are  still  hard  hit  by  energy  prices  

Whilst  crime  &  violence  are  a  concern  across  each  lifestage,  it  appears  that  Family  Flocks  are  still  feeling  the  pinch  when  it  comes  to  energy  availability  and  affordability.  Education  and  illegal  immigration  are  also  on  

     

13   Very  worried  n=1131  Free  as  a  Bird  N=249  Family  Flock  n=288  Empty  Nesters  n=141  

Australians  are  still  concerned  about  grocery  prices        

The  June  Mood  Monitor  report  saw  93%  of  respondents  saying  that  they  had  been  impacted  by  rising  grocery  prices    68%  of  them  majorly  or  moderately.      The  October  study  showed  that  the  impact  may  be  lessening  slightly.  93%  of  people  still  said  they  had  been  impacted  but  65%  said  that  it  was  majorly  or  moderately.      Families  also  went  from  78%  being  majorly  or  moderately  impacted  in  June,  to  73%    in  October.    

     

14   Source  :  SCAR  Consumer  Sentiment  Study,  June  2013,  &  October  2013  Flock  n=1386  Empty  Nesters  n=500  /  n=1131  Free  as  a  Bird  N=249  Family  Flock  n=288  Empty  Nesters  n=141    

So  what  does  this  mean?  

As  the  media  is  constantly  reporting,  most  nations  are  experiencing  economic  downturns  to  some  degree    and  Australia  is  no  different    although  we  have  fared  much  better  than  many.  Post  election,  it  appears  that  Australians  are  in  a  much  better  mood  than  they  were  in  June  2013.  Overall,  they  are  feeling  positive.  They  are  happy  and  content  with  just  an  underlying  frustration  and  concern.      With  this  happier  mood  may  well  come  an  increase  in  spending  in  the  next  few  months.  In  fact,  Australians  are  expected  to  spend  in  excess  of  $28billion  in  December  alone    a  rise  of  2.2%  from  last  year.  Christmas  and  holiday  spending  will  largely  contribute  to  this  but  there  remains  opportunity  for  advertisers  to  get  their  slice  of  the  spend.      Only  time  will  tell  but  it  might  just    be  a  very  merry  Christmas  for    Australians  in  2013!      

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political  uncertainty,  and  the  post-­financial  crisis  nervousness  has  dissipated,  leaving  Australians  more  confident  about  their  economic    Karen  Dobie    Ibisworld  Australia,  General  Manager  

The winners this Christmas season: Online sales, video games and eating IBISWorld Australia, 25 November 2013  

Respondent  Breakdown  

This  slide  gives  a  brief  overview  of  the  respondents  who  took    part  in  the  Consumer  Sentiment  study.      

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Study  Methodology  

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.      The  survey  was  conducted  by  Southern  Cross  Austereo  using  its  online  panel  nationally.    The  panel  is  obtained  from  our  radio  networks  database  under  the  

Network.  All  members  of  these  databases  would  be  considered  listeners  to  these  stations.      The  database  contains  about  217,000  members.  The  is  split  between  the  Today  VIP  database  and  the  Triple  M  database.  Members  of  the  Today  VIP  Database  were  asked  to  take  part  in  the  study.          Consumer Sentiment Study October 2013 All  members  of  this  community  were  invited  to  complete  the  survey,  and  631  did  so.  Additionally,  500  external  respondents  were  recruited  to  complete  the  survey.  Members  of  this  database  have  no  knowledge  of  Southern  Cross    to  either  network.      

of  response  OR  brands/words  that  first  came  to  mind.      A  keyword  search  was  used  to  sort  and  rank  the  responses  to  these  questions.    The  results  are  an  un-­weighted  sample,  but  are  reflective  of  the  Southern  Cross  Austereo  audience.  SCA  brands  reach  approximately  40%  of  the  10+  population  and  approximately  46%  of  the  25-­54  population  in  the  five  metropolitan  markets  in  Australia,  suggesting  it  would  be  reasonable  to  consider  these  results  to  be  a  fair  if  not  fully  balanced  representation  of  the  opinions  in  these  marketplaces.    Furthermore,  as  it  is  an  online  survey,  the  respondents  would  also  be  

general  and  likely  to  be  a  good  early  indication  of  brand  leaders,  trend  setters  and  early  adopters  in  general.    These  research  surveys  conducted  by  Austereo  are  done  so  to  provide  a  general  understanding  of  the  opinions,  interests  and  attitudes  of  the  metropolitan  marketplaces  only.