Who’s really buying the tech at home? Research shows it depends on income, gender and household size

While it’s easy to imagine one person leading the charge on electronics purchases, the reality might be more layered than you think. New data from YouGov Profiles, which continuously surveys and tracks consumer habits, shows that the person in charge of buying household electronics changes quite a bit depending on income, gender, and who else is in the home.

Let’s start with one group that stands out: women in lower-income households with kids under 18. Among those who say they’re the sole shopper for household electronics, two-thirds of women in this group (67%) claim the role—higher than the 57% of men living in the same situation. That makes them the most likely across any income or household type to take charge of tech buying.

But change the setting, same income, but now it’s just a couple at home, and the roles reverse. In lower-income households with a spouse or partner but no children, 44% of men say they’re the sole shopper, compared to just 26% of women.

The richer the household, the more likely men buy the electronics

It’s not just about who's at home, it’s also about how much money is coming in. In higher-income households (earning over 200% of the national median), men dominate the tech shopping role, especially in homes with children.

In homes with kids under 18, 53% of higher-earning men say they make all the electronics purchases, while only 18% of women say the same. That 35-point gap is the largest gender divide in the entire dataset.

The same story plays out in high-income homes with older kids (43% of men vs. 22% of women) and even more so in couple-only households, where 45% of men take the lead compared to just 14% of women.

Middle-income households (between 75% and 200% of the median) fall somewhere in between. Men are still more likely to be the sole shopper, but the gap is narrower especially in homes with younger children (52% of men vs. 37% of women).

And when it comes to using that new tech? Higher earners struggle more

There’s one finding that might come as a surprise: higher earners, despite being more likely to buy the tech, are also more likely to say they find it hard to use.

Among sole electronics shoppers, more than half (58%) of those in the highest income group say they struggle to learn how to use new technology. That compares to 34% of middle-income shoppers and just 21% of those with lower incomes.

So who buys the electronics?

It turns out that there’s no single profile of a household electronics shopper in Britain. In some homes, it's a mum juggling the kids and tech purchases. In others, it's a higher-earning partner stocking up on the latest gadgets – and maybe needing help setting them up.

But the takeaway is simple: income, gender, and household setup all play a role. And if you're a brand trying to reach that decision-maker, it's worth knowing who’s actually making the call.

Methodology: YouGov Profiles is based on continuously collected data and rolling surveys, rather than from a single limited questionnaire. Profiles data for Great Britain is nationally representative and weighted by age, gender, education, region, and race.