- Optimism about family prospects falls by 7% since last Family Matters Index in August
- Environment remains top concern post-COP26, as 60% make an effort to educate themselves and more people change the clothing and food they buy
- Health is fastest growing concern across the UK since last August, rising by 5% to 56%, and cost of living concerns start to emerge
- Education fears ease however with growing optimism about children’s education and chances to develop in the year ahead
Families are cautiously optimistic about what the rest of 2022 will bring, amid growing concerns around health and the environment, according to the latest M&S Family Matters Index released today (Wednesday 23rd February).
Cost of living concerns are also beginning to emerge, driven by rising fuel and energy prices, leading to a 7% drop in optimism around family prospects, from 47% in August to 40%. Optimism stood at 51% back in March 2021.
This quarter, the Family Matters index score is 53, down from 55 in August in 2021. The Index score is based on a scale of 0-100, with 100 being highest, with a mid-point score of 50 or above representing a positive, optimistic perspective.
Families remain particularly concerned about the environment, proving earlier concerns highlighted in our previous indexes weren’t solely driven by the spotlight on COP26 in Glasgow. These concerns are however spurring people to learn more about their own carbon footprint and take action to reduce it.
65% of people cite the environment as a concern compared to 64% back in August 2021 and 61% last March. Those over 65+ and aged between 35-44 years old are the age groups feeling most anxious, at 68% and 67% respectively.
More than half (60%) of people are making an effort to educate themselves about their environmental impact as a consumer and 72% agree we should be making our clothes last longer (up 2% since August 2021). 41% and 36% of people have already made changes to the food and clothing they buy due to climate change.
People also expect shops to make a similar effort, with 58% saying it’s important that the shops they buy from make their products as sustainable as possible.
Younger generations are the most likely to be changing the food and clothing they buy due to climate change. 48% of 18-24s and 47% of 25-34s, and 45% and 44% of 18-24s and 25-34s have made food and clothing changes respectively.
The return of winter also caused concern beyond the environment. Family health is the fastest-growing concern since last August, rising by 5% to return to 56%. This could be due to the added pressure on the NHS at this time of year, combined with the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health system.
In a few areas however, children’s education and chances to develop, concerns are easing.
Less than a third (31%) of people are now concerned about their children’s education, down from 37% in March and 33% in August last year, and people are also feeling more confident that their children have access to chances to develop. This is now a concern for just over a third of respondents (35%) down from 44% when the index started and 37% last August.
People are also feeling optimistic about their own potential to make positive changes. 53% of people across the UK are planning a lifestyle change this year and younger generations are particularly eager to.
Two-thirds (66%) of 18-24 and 25-34 year olds are hoping to try something new this year, the most of any age group. For 63% of 18-24 year olds, the priority is doing more exercise, while for 57% of 25-34 year olds exercise, as well as prioritising mental health, are topping their lists. Likewise, 65% of students are also feeling inspired to do something different.
Victoria McKenzie-Gould, M&S Director of Communications, said:
“Our third Family Matters report is two stories in one: continuity in that the future impact of climate change remains families’ primary concern yet changing because concerns around family health are intensifying as we ease out of the pandemic. In a positive change, parents are feeling more optimistic about education than in August last year but unsurprisingly feeling more concerned about increases in the cost of living.
As a business with 32m customers, we know families across the UK trust us to meet their evolving needs and offer trusted value with great quality products sourced and sold with care, so we can help build a sustainable future. That’s why we are expanding our Remarksable range to include home essentials, helping families to be more sustainable with our Sparking Change challenge and working towards becoming a net zero business by 2040, as part of our Plan A sustainability action plan.”
How M&S is supporting families through our trusted value promise:
- Our "Remarksable" marketing campaign is being extended from food to our home division, spotlighting the exceptional value of M&S entry price point products, with trusted value items from tea towels to tea mugs available from just £1.
- We’ve launched the Sparking Change National Challenge to help our Sparks customers try a low-carbon diet. We’re providing free expert tips and resources for exploring plant-based protein, cooking from scratch and reducing food waste. The challenge is based on insights from a behaviour change trial in collaboration with Hubbub, which saw 90% participants wasting less food and 76% of families involving their children more in cooking.
- We recently reset Plan A, our sustainability programme which first launched in 2007. The reset included our singular focus to become a net zero Scope 3 business across our entire supply chain and products by 2040.
- In November 2021, we launched our first clothing rental trial with website Hirestreet, allowing customers to rent M&S clothing on the platform. More information here.
- Shwopping is an incentive programme we launched in 2008, which has seen customers donate over 35 million pre-loved items to date, raising an estimated £23m for Oxfam’s vital work across the world. All clothing items that are donated are sent to Oxfam where they are sorted for recycling to stop textiles being sent to landfill. More information here.
View the full M&S Family Matters Index HERE
-ENDS-
Notes to editors:
The M&S Family Matters Index will be published each quarter, tracking what family means, why family matters and what matters to families today.
Yonder interviewed 5,013 adults online between 17th & 26th November 2021. Interviews were conducted across the UK and data weighted to be representative of the whole population. Data accurate to a margin of error of +- 1.4%. Analysis of demographic sub-groups is based on a minimum sample of 100.
Yonder is a founder member of the British Polling Council and follows its rules.
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