November 2020 is going to be very different from previous years. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the way people go about their lives, including the introduction of local lockdowns and tighter restrictions for some parts of the country.
That’s why at Spark Emotions we wanted to truly understand how people are feeling on a monthly basis. Throughout the year, we focus in on different topics by month depending on what is important to the general public. For November, we spoke to over 1,000 people to understand their emotions and what plans they have for the month ahead.
The November paper brings you an understanding of what the general mood of the nation is in the United Kingdom; how the UK feels about the Coronavirus pandemic, how the UK is planning for Christmas, and as we draw nearer to the festive season, we ask about Black Friday.
As the second wave begins to strike the UK, more areas face tighter restrictions
Many factors influence how we feel, and the pace of change is phenomenal. Big events in the last month have included the announcement of the new job-retention Scheme which will replace the previous furlough Scheme, the introduction of the government’s track and trace app and its subsequent issues where thousands could not log the results of their tests, and the new COVID-19 tier regulations which have divided the country.
How the UK describes the month of November
Last month, the UK felt a mixture of Worry and Optimism. This month, the UK continues to feel Worry and with winter around the corner, the public are beginning to feel the cold weather.
As the second wave of COVID-19 sets in, Optimism has reduced compared to last month.
Despite the mood improving for October, November’s mood has dropped
Our Spark Emotional Wheel is a bespoke tool that helps us quantify emotions (click here if you would like to read more about the Spark Emotional Wheel). We have found the UK public have moved from feeling Inquisitive in 2019, to Enthusiastic in July, Interested in August, Attentive in September and back to being interested in October.
November has seen a drop in mood since October. Feelings of Happiness, Excitement and Control have all decreased since last month. The UK feels similar to how it felt in September with the emotion Attentive.
How can you help?
People have been in a constant state of worry over the last few months. Since the threat of COVID-19 has increased, it is important to understand consumer’s uncertainty and worry by supporting their vulnerability. Outline the COVID safety measures you have in place and make shopper’s options for using your business clear. As we near the Christmas period, people will be looking for risk free shopping.
If you would like to see the full November Mood of the Nation report, please click here and enter your details and one of the team will be in touch. Or reach out to Tara directly using the details below.
Written by Tara Moran, Research Executive at Spark Emotions.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Tara via email tara.moran@sparkemotions.com or connect with her on LinkedIn
