Connecting with the Health and Wellness Community
Kantar Profiles has conducted an online survey globally, exploring the adoption of health technology and its impact on health and wellness.
Connecting with the
Health & Wellness Community
Global findings on the adoption of health technology and its impact on health and wellness. Also, a look at emotional
wellness today.
Community Report
Kantar Profiles
October 2022
Community Report Overview
Use the "read on" button below to immerse into each chapter of the report.
Community Report Overview
There's no debate that people across the globe have been faced with challenges and changes over the past few years - and it's taken a toll on the emotional wellbeing of many.
But during this time, people have taken time to embrace both technology and space to make improvements to their physical and emotional wellbeing.
Using responses from 10,000 online respondents from the Kantar Profiles Audience Network across ten global markets (including US, UK, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa, China, Singapore and India), Kantar Profiles set out to explore emotional wellness today, as well as the influence and impact technology has had on wellness.
This report takes an in-depth review of consumers who are monitoring their health with the use of technology, the use of smartphones and its impact on emotional wellness, and a look at emotional wellness over the last few years (4 years ago, 2 years ago and today).
Explore our findings here on:
- Emotional Wellbeing Today
- The Role of Technology in Monitoring Health
- How Technology is Improving Health
- The Impact Smartphones Have on Wellness
Methodology
This research was conducted online using 10,000 respondents (1,000 per market) sourced from the Kantar Profiles Audience Network across 10 global markets: US, Brazil, UK, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa China, India and Singapore.
All interviews were conducted as online self-completion between August 19-31, 2022 and collected based on local census distributions for age and gender.
Gen-Z was identified as ages 18-24, Millennials ages 25-39, Gen-X ages 40-55, and Boomers ages 56-75.
1. Emotional Wellbeing Today
Explore the shifts of emotional wellness over the past 4 years, as well as the factors
influencing emotional wellness.
Globally, people report their emotional wellness is recovering from the pandemic.
When thinking back to pre-pandemic times (3-4 years ago), 81% of people globally reported their emotional wellness as positive (6-11) on a scale of 1 to 11.
Positive emotional wellness ratings for early pandemic times (1-2 years ago) declined by 18%. Only 66% of people globally rated their emotional wellness was between a 6-11.
Today, positive reports have shifted back to pre-pandemic levels. 81% again report in the 6-11 range.
52% of people say their emotional wellness suffered during the pandemic.
54% more people say the cost-of-living crisis has significantly impacted their emotional wellness than the pandemic.
85% of those whose wellbeing is impacted by the cost-of-living crisis are worried about the price of food.
65% of people say their emotional wellness has improved from, or returned to pre-pandemic times.
2. The Role of Technology in Monitoring Health
Explore how people are using technology to monitor their health and wellness,
and what consumers are willing to pay for.
34% of people use their smartphone to monitor their health or diet.
The use of smartphones for monitoring health and/or diet is highest among Millennials (44%) and females (37%), globally.
Regionally, people in India (51%) and China (48%) monitor their health most frequently using smartphones, while people in the US and UK utilise this technology the least (27%).
30% of people use their smartphone for exercise, meditation or other wellness activities.
Similar to monitoring health and diet, more Millennials (41%) and females (34%) are using their smartphone for exercise, meditation and other wellness activities.
89% of people who use health-tech to monitor their health or fitness have wellness goals.
For those who have wellness goals, here's where they say they are in their fitness journey today.
40% of people use a smartwatch to monitor their health, while 53% use only their smartphone.
People who wear smartwatches are actively monitoring their calorie burn 17% more than those who use their smartphone only, and 10% more than people who use other wearable technology.
Of those who say they are actively monitoring their health and/or their exercise, people who wear smartwatches report to actively monitoring all health activity at higher rates than those who use other wearable technology or smartphones only.
This includes categories encompassing exercise, sleep, vitals and mood.
78% of consumers who monitor their health believe the social and community components of health and fitness apps make it easier to practice healthy habits.
This agreement drops with age (from 81% of Gen-Z and Millennials to 72% of Boomers), but universally felt the same between men (77%) and women (79%).
Globally, 79% of this community wish there were more free fitness, health and wellness apps available to them.
30% of this community are not willing to pay for fitness, health or wellness apps.
Boomers feel the strongest about not paying for these apps, and more Millennials are paying for them already today than any other generation.
Of those who pay for health-related apps, 63% hold paid-for subscriptions to fitness and exercise apps.
Globally, the top four paid-for categories are fitness and exercise (63%), life coaching (35%), diet and nutrition (31%), and meditation and mindfulness (28%).
On average, people pay for 2.6 subscriptions. 33% of people who pay for fitness subscriptions say they can't live without at least one.
48% of Americans who hold paid fitness subscriptions say they can't live without one, vs only 11% of Spaniards
3. How Technology is Improving Health
Find answers from the health and wellness community on how the use of
health technology is improving their physical and emotional wellness.
39% of people see improvements in their physical health when they monitor their health with the support of technology.
6% more people say they've experienced physical health improvements if they wear a smartwatch than other wearable devices.
More people who say they wear smartwatches report physical health improvements than those who use their smartphones only as well (3% more).
Globally, 92% of people agree that monitoring their health with the support of technology has played some role in how they rate their physical health today.
32% of people say a fitness or exercise app made the biggest impact on their physical health.
39% of people also see improvements in their emotional health when they monitor their health with the support of technology.
27% of people say a fitness or exercise app made the biggest impact on their emotional health.
4. The Impact Smartphones Have on Wellness
Get global insight on the use of smartphones and the influence it has on personal stress,
as well as the impact smartphone usage has on children.
Women report to spending 12% more time on their smartphones than men do daily.
Globally, men report to spending on average 4.4 hours on their smartphone a day versus the 4.95 hours reported by women.
Boomers, globally, report to spending more than 3 hours per day less on their smartphone than Gen-Z.
63% of Millennials report feeling a stress level of 6+ on a scale of 1 to 10 when they can't find their smartphone.
Millennials report to feeling to most stress when they can't find their smartphone, but Gen-Z is not far behind.
On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being the least stressed, Boomers feel the least amount of worry. Only 34% report a stress level of 6+ and 22% report level 1.
20% of people say the first thing they do with their smartphone every day is check their personal email.
For those under 40 years of age, "open an social media app" is the most popular "first of the day" activity to do with a smartphone. For those 40 and over, "check personal email" is.
17% of people say the first thing they do with their smartphone every day is open a social media app.
Overwhelmingly, parents feel smartphone usage has a negative impact on their children's wellbeing. 70%+ feel so for ages 0-17.
Whether it's their own smartphone usage, or use by children, parents feel smartphones have a negative influence on the emotional wellness of their children aged 0-21.
All markets indicate smartphones have a negative influence on their children's wellness, but it's felt by more parents in India, Brazil and Singapore.
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What did you find most interesting from this report?
- The shift in positive emotional wellness ratings over time
- The generational differences in the adoption of health technology
- The positive impact health technology has on wellness
- The perceived impact smartphone usage has on children's wellness
- The difference in stress levels when people can't find their smartphone
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