Millennials are not all the same

"GenerationWhy," a consumer research study of millennials and their attitudes around food and beverage ingredients commissioned by the Corn Refiners Association, Washington, D.C., and conducted by Ipsos and Buzzfeed, both based in New York, found that millennials can be grouped into four distinct segments with different lifestyles, eating preferences and social media behavior.

“Until now, many studies have made sweeping generalizations about millennials,” said Sara Martens, vice president of the MSR Group and GenerationWhy research analyst. “This study picks up where others left off, proving millennials are not a monolith. It provides game-changing insights for food and beverage brands looking to engage with the right millennial segment, at the right time, with the right message.”

 GenerationWhy named the four segments: Traditionalist Taylor, Bon Vivant Brittany, Food Purist Paige and Balance-Seeker Brad. According to GenerationWhy data:

• Traditionalist Taylor (37 percent of the millennial population) is least likely to look at nutrition labels regularly. She is more concerned about how food tastes and what it costs than trying new things. She spends the least amount of time on social media.
• Bon Vivant Brittany (23 percent of millennial population) is most likely to be a “younger” millennial (ages 18-25) and is one of two segments most likely to eat at restaurants. She is least likely to avoid specific foods and ingredients and spends an average amount of time on social media.
• Food Purist Paige (19 percent of millennial population) is most likely to avoid specific foods and ingredients. While she wants healthier options for her family, taste is a higher priority. She spends an average amount of time on social media.
• Balance-Seeker Brad (16 percent of millennial population) is most likely to read nutrition labels regularly, with his family in mind. However, he looks at food holistically rather than avoiding specific ingredients. He’s most likely to eat out and spends the most time on social media.

GenerationWhy said additional key findings from the segmentation analysis are:

• Depending on age, millennials have different levels of concern about ingredients and overall health.
• Unlike the general population, millennials who are most influential on social media are not the most extreme in their ingredient attitudes.
• The two millennial segments that dine out most often have very different ingredient attitudes and social media behavior.

In addition to identifying four millennial segments, the study examined eating preferences and social media habits of “older” and “younger” millennials compared to Generation X and baby boomers. GenerationWhy said key findings include:

• Older millennials (age 26 to 34) read nutritional labels more than Generation X and boomers, whereas younger millennials (age 18 to 25) read labels less.
• Younger and older millennials are more concerned about artificial ingredients than sweetener ingredients. Generation X and baby boomers say the opposite.
• Older millennials are the most “health conscious” age group when dining out, compared to younger millennials, Generation X and baby boomers.

Additionally, across generations and millennial segments, the GenerationWhy study found that consumers are still more concerned about total sugars than specific types. Overall, nearly five times as many consumers expressed concern for total sugars over specific ingredients. Even the millennial segment most prone to avoid HFCS is nearly seven times (6.8) more likely to avoid total sugars.