February 1st, 2023, Kineree Shah
The emergence of the metaverse has offered consumers a new and immersive way to engage with their favorite brands, shop, and socialize. Data from YouGov Profiles, an audience intelligence tool, suggests that a third of Americans say that the metaverse is the future of online interactions (36%). These are the ‘early adherents of meta’ and could be a potential target audience for marketers and brands looking to get involved, or who are already involved, in the metaverse. It's interesting to know that seven in 10 consumers of this target group are confident that they understand what the metaverse is (77%). Let's take a closer look at the demographics of this subset and certain core behaviors across various sectors.
Who are the ‘early adherents of meta’?
Typically, younger people are early supporters of most new technologies, but not in this case. Only one in 10 consumers in this target group are Gen Z, the smallest proportion of this subset (12%). Ahead of this are baby boomers (14%), followed by Gen X (22%). Half of Americans who say the metaverse is the future of online interactions are millennials (50%).
Breaking the data down by income, a third of ‘early adherents of meta’ have a gross personal income of $10,000-49,000 (36%) while a quarter earn $50,000-99,000. American men are more likely to be ‘early adherents’ as compared to women (57% males vs. 43% females).
Is this audience risk-tolerant?
‘Early adherents of meta’ in the US are nearly twice as likely than the general population to say they like to take risks in the stock market (55% vs. 26%) and don’t mind taking risks with their money (57% vs. 32%). Three in five ‘early adherents of meta’ are impulsive buyers, making them 18 points more likely to be so than the general population (61% vs 43%).
What are their gaming preferences?
These early adopters are twice as likely as all US adults to opt for in-game purchases (58% vs. 28%) and prefer multi-player experiences (64% vs. 36%). These consumers are more likely to play games that offer big rewards (70% vs. 44%). Nearly seven in 10 consumers who say the metaverse is the future of online interaction play console or PC video games for an hour or more each week (67%), making them 16 points more likely to do so than all US adults (51%).
Are they into sports or betting?
‘Early adherents of meta’ are also nearly twice as likely to be passionate about football and FIFA World Cup (53% vs. 24%), tennis (40% vs. 15%), and the Olympics (56% vs. 32%) compared to the general public. Half of the target group have placed a bet or gambled (excluding lottery) in the past six months, 21 points more than all US adults (50% vs. 29%).
What type of phone plan do they have?
Nearly a third of ‘early adherents of meta’ have a one or two-year cell phone plan where consumers pay at the end of the month (29%), while the same percentage have either a no-contract prepaid plan where you pay upfront, or refill as needed (29%). A quarter of ‘early adherents of meta’ have signed a one or two-year service contract (25%) with a network carrier.
To know more about motivations and concerns of various audiences across the Metaverse adoption cycle download YouGov’s latest report – Unlocking the Metaverse.
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Methodology
YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for the US is nationally representative of the online population and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race. Learn more about Profiles.