The Game of Life is an internally funded research initiative from Radius, designed to explore how people in the U.K., U.S., UAE, and India are navigating everyday choices in a complex, shifting world. The study looks at four key areas: general consumer mindset, financial behaviours, attitudes toward artificial intelligence, and sustainability. The research was designed to uncover what consumers are doing in their everyday lives to provide deeper insight into how brands can connect more meaningfully, target more accurately, and ensure communications are effective in supporting long-term brand growth.
Across regions globally, consumers share a general belief that the world has become more chaotic, changeable and unstable, which is causing them to rethink how they navigate daily life. Our research identified several global issues that feel too overwhelming and stressful for people to fix on their own. To mitigate their stress, consumers are using their own coping mechanisms to gain control where they can: making the big feel small.
Macro Issue 1: Cost of Living
Consumers are economising to reduce the impact of increased cost-of-living.
Across markets, there seems to be no escaping the cost-of-living crisis. People are battling stagnant salaries, soaring bills, mortgage fears and more.
But consumers are adopting a pragmatic and resourceful mindset to help minimise the impact. The most popular tactic is reducing luxury or treat purchases (46%), followed by creating shopping lists instead of buying on impulse (34%). Other methods include seeking own-label products instead of branded ones, or launching secondary money-making schemes (more popular in the UAE and India).
Generally, younger generations are feeling the pinch more than their older counterparts. In the U.K., 46% of Gen Z agree the increased cost of living has impacted their behaviour, compared to 34% among Boomers.
Macro Issue 2: Public Health and Safety
There is a foundational shift in attitudes toward a healthier work–life balance.
People are prioritising their own personal health and well-being. Government-run health care systems are struggling, so it feels sensible to take matters into their own hands.
Top priorities for consumers are:
- Nurturing close relationships
- Emotional and intellectual self-improvement
- Living a healthy life by looking after mind and body
There is a slight generational difference, with younger generations prioritising success, holistic wealth (not exclusively financial) and self-improvement, and older generations focusing more on medical health, relationships and respect. As a result, individuals want to spend less time working, commuting and on social media, and more time on personal care, exercise, and learning and self-development.
Macro Issue 3: Climate Change
Despite cynicism about shared responsibility, individuals continue to reduce waste.
Ipsos reports that 80% of the global public believe we’re headed for environmental disaster (Ipsos Global Trends 2024).* This issue clearly matters, but at an individual level, it can feel too big a problem to tackle with the sustainable choices currently available. Barriers include cost (63%) and shared responsibility (53%)—i.e., the perception that other people or brands aren’t pulling their weight either.
Still, people are trying to make small changes by intentionally reducing consumption:
- Choosing eco-friendly products
- Using less electricity and water
- Avoiding single-use plastic
- Opting for different forms of travel, or simply travelling less
So what for brands?
Gain insights on how your customers are evolving and adapt your strategy to meet their needs.
The Game of Life research suggests that people are not disengaging, they’re adapting. They’re making decisions rooted in small-scale control, self-reliance and resilience. For brands, the opportunity lies in understanding how to support those micro-decisions.
What should brand teams take away from this mindset shift?
These insights offer a clear call to action and ways to align more closely with evolving consumer needs, strengthen brand relationships and drive long-term growth.
- Does your product ease micro and macro tensions?
Evaluate whether your product or service addresses not just functional needs, but emotional and societal pressures too. Brands that actively help people manage cost, anxiety or uncertainty are more likely to earn lasting loyalty. - In the face of cutbacks, does your customer journey and messaging highlight a relevant and necessary role in consumers’ lives?
Streamline your customer journey and clarify your messaging to reinforce relevance and value. In a market where people are reassessing what they can afford, brands that communicate clearly and confidently stand a better chance of staying in the basket. - Does the user experience help the consumer maintain control?
In times of uncertainty, design experiences should offer tools or features that restore a sense of urgency—whether that’s through flexible pricing, intuitive UX or empowering information. When people feel in control, they’re more likely to stick with the brands that support them. - Are you helping your customers make the big feel a bit smaller?
Consider how your brand can translate big, complex issues (like climate or wellness) into simple, achievable actions for the consumer. Insights will help you identify the best ways to connect with your customers to strengthen your short- and long-term growth strategies.
*Ipsos (2024, September). Ipsos Global Trends: In search of a new consensus: From tension to intention. https://resources.ipsos.com/rs/297-CXJ795/images/Ipsos_Global_Trends_10thAnniversary_Edition.pdf
