••• african-american research
Church central to lives of many black Americans
Certainty of belief
A recent Pew Research Center Religion & Public Life report by David Masci highlighted facts about the religious lives of African-Americans. Religion, particularly Christianity, has played an outsize role in African-American history. While most Africans brought to the New World to be slaves were not Christians when they arrived, many of them and their descendants embraced Christianity, finding comfort in the Biblical message of spiritual equality and deliverance. In post-Civil War America, a burgeoning black church played a key role strengthening African-American communities and in providing support to the civil rights movement.
From the Pew report:
Roughly eight-in-10 (79 percent) African-Americans self-identify as Christian, as do seven-in-10 whites and 77 percent of Latinos, according to Pew Research Center’s 2014 Religious Landscape Study. Most black Christians and about half of all African-Americans (53 percent) are associated with historically black Protestant churches, according to the study. Smaller shares of African-Americans identify with evangelical Protestantism (14 percent), Catholicism (5 percent), mainline Protestantism (4 percent) and Islam (2 percent).
The first predominantly black denominations in the U.S. were founded in the late 18th century, some by free black people. Today, the largest historically black church in the U.S. is the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. Inc. Other large historically black churches include the Church of God in Christ, the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and two other Baptist churches – the National Baptist Convention of America and the Progressive National Baptist Association Inc.
African-Americans are more religious than whites and Latinos by many measures of religious commitment. For instance, three-quarters of black Americans say religion is very important in their lives, compared with smaller shares of whites (49 percent) and Hispanics (59 percent); African-Americans also are more likely to attend services at least once a week and to pray regularly. Black Americans (83 percent) are more likely to say they believe in God with absolute certainty than whites (61 percent) and Latinos (59 percent).
The share of African-Americans who identify as religiously unaffiliated has increased in recent years, mirroring national trends. In 2007, when the first Religious Landscape Study was conducted, only 12 percent of black Americans said they were religiously unaffiliated – that is, atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular.” By the time the 2014 Landscape Study was conducted, that number had grown to 18 percent. As with the general population, younger African-American adults are more likely than older African-Americans to be unaffiliated. Three-in-10 (29 percent) African-Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 say they are unaffiliated compared with only 7 percent of black adults 65 and older who say this.
Older African-Americans are more likely than younger black adults to be associated with historically black Protestant churches. While 63 percent of the Silent Generation (born between 1928 and 1945) say they identify with historically black denominations, only 41 percent of black Millennials say the same. (When the survey was conducted in 2014, Millennials included those born between 1981 and 1996.)
••• travel research
Let’s jump on a plane!
Deloitte study looks at travel trends
Travel and tourism is one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors, with bookings hitting close to $1.6 trillion in 2017. A strengthening global economy lies at the heart of industry growth. Each year, the global traveler pool is flooded with millions of new consumers from both emerging and developed markets, many with rising disposable incomes and a newfound ability to experience the world.
As taken from Deloitte’s 2018 Travel and Hospitality Industry Outlook, here are some of the forces poised to drive revenue for hotels, airlines, restaurants and other players in the travel ecosystem.
Healthy consumer spending. Amid low inflation and low unemployment, the U.S. economy seems poised to sustain 2 to 2.5 percent growth through 2018. Consumers are at the heart of that growth. Incomes are rising, along with home values and stocks. That points to more income and more confidence to spend it.
Intense airline competition. Downward pricing pressures are at play thanks to a mix of low fuel prices, international competition and low-cost entrants. That may be tough news for airline industry margins but low fares drive spending throughout the travel sector.
Healthy corporate travel demand. Strong economies drive business activity. Business travel is projected to grow by more than 6 percent.
From products to experiences. Travel is outpacing the demand for goods. Spending on recreation, travel and eating out is up, while spending on many durable goods and staples like clothing is down.
As always, success isn’t guaranteed in 2018. Each of the travel segments has unique hurdles to overcome but driving innovation and exploring new possibilities around the travel experience are some of the challenges that transcend the sectors.
The report also looked at the various segments individually.
Hospitality. The hotel industry continues a run of strong performance and is projected to sustain strong 5-6 percent growth throughout 2018. Some analysts are concerned as this industry is usually cyclic but optimists seem to outnumber pessimists. Throughout the year, hoteliers will be looking for an opportunity in strategic places, including a revisit of the midscale experience, traveler-facing tech, health and wellness and loyalty.
Airlines. After a decade of underwhelming performance, large U.S. carriers are turning things around and now look to define the future of flying with key infrastructure and technology investments. The key themes for 2018 center around low-cost cost competition, air traffic reform, cabin segmentation and leveraging maturing technology such as the Internet of Things to redefine the curb-to-gate-to-plane experience.
Restaurants. Americans now spend 44 percent of their food budgets eating out instead of cooking in. That volume represents prosperity, the family time crunch and the growth in service levels and delivery options. To seize their share of that growing pie, restaurants need to focus on key strategic imperatives, including embracing the experience, driving employee engagement, dominating delivery, competing with non-traditional players and driving operational excellence and compliance.
••• health care research
Study looks at drivers of health care provider choice
Focus on parents, Millennials
A study by Livonia, Mich., media delivery company Valassis reveals that one-third of all consumers are “in the market” for a new health care provider, with this number substantially higher among Millennials (56 percent) and parents (57 percent). Valassis’ Dynamic Healthcare Consumer findings, derived from over 1,300 respondents, reveal that among those in the market for a new health care provider, 52 percent of Millennials and 49 percent of parents could be persuaded to switch providers if an alternative was less expensive.
Additionally, 55 percent of Millennials and 51 percent of parents looking for a new provider would consider changing doctors or care centers if better service was offered.
Overall, the top three reasons health care consumers are looking to make a switch is due to relocation (27 percent), a change in insurance (23 percent) and dissatisfaction with their current provider (23 percent). Seeing advertising for a different doctor or center can also have an impact, influencing 17 percent of these consumers (and 27 percent of parents).
“Consumers are in control of how and what they purchase, and increasingly, the entire buying experience,” says Valassis CMO Curtis Tingle. “We’ve seen this in the retail world and the same applies in the health care environment. Health care providers need to identify new and innovative ways to compete, as customer loyalty can be unpredictable. To acquire and retain patients, providers must listen to what matters most to their target audiences, whether it’s price, convenience or services.”
Additional takeaways:
Online research and print advertisements help fuel the health care decision-making process: 25 percent of consumers found a new provider through online research, with this number greater among Millennials (34 percent) and parents (32 percent); 61 percent of parents and 54 percent of Millennials say a print ad triggered them to research a new health condition or provider (vs. 39 percent of all consumers).
Location matters, so targeted advertising is key: 24 percent of consumers select a health care provider due to its proximity to home, providing an opportunity for smaller, local health care centers to stay competitive; a majority of consumers only want to drive a half hour or less.
Health care brands must engage consumers on an ongoing basis to be successful: 39 percent of consumers – and 61 percent of parents – take as much time to research their doctor or health care center as they do when making a large retail purchase; 64 percent of consumers who research when looking for a new health care provider do so at least a month in advance before making a decision.
Valassis Dynamic Healthcare Consumer findings are based on the Valassis Awareness-to-Activation Study, an ongoing study fielded in conjunction with researcher The NPD Group Inc. The sample was derived via an online survey and all participants were at least 18 years of age and living in the contiguous United States. Approximately 10,000 respondents are surveyed annually. This specific data was gathered from research fielded July 28 through Sept. 27, 2017 to over 1,300 respondents and is balanced by age and gender to U.S. Census demographic profiles.
••• customer experience
For some tasks, it’s chatbots over humans
People preferred for problem-solving
As chronicled by Helen Leggatt of BizReport, PointSource’s new report, Finding Common Ground Between Consumers and Artificial Intelligence, found that most consumers have had interactions with AI-powered chatbots but most probably did not realize because “consumers still lack a firm understanding of what AI experiences can look and feel like today.”
However, of those who responded to PointSource’s survey, a third (34 percent) said that when seeking out basic information such as product information they preferred a chatbot over a human. Similarly, 38 percent said they preferred a chatbot when checking to see if a product is in stock, 36 percent when looking for pricing or discounts, 36 percent for delivery information and 39 percent for order tracking.
When it comes to resolving problems, however, consumers want to speak with a live operator. “Consumer comfortability with chatbot assistance significantly drops off for more complicated, high-stake retail interactions,” says Greg Ng, VP of digital engagement at PointSource. “Eighty percent of consumers prefer to speak with a human when resolving problems post-purchase and another 71 percent want the human element during the in-store experience.”
The research uncovered three main reasons for a preference for human interaction: privacy/security, speed and friction. However, these hurdles can be overcome with strategic, user-centric experiences that focus on alleviating frustrations and roadblocks, providing accurate and up-to-date information and ensuring that all data is kept secure and used only for its originally indicated purposes.
The rewards for businesses that get the chatbot experience right are, according to the report, that nearly half (49 percent) are willing to shop more frequently, 34 percent will spend more and 38 percent will share the experience with family and friends.