US Conscious Consumer: 2024

As consumers consider brands’ values and ethics more, this report sheds light on what these ‘Conscious Consumers’ want, and why. What are the key issues that Conscious Consumers want to see addressed? How are brands already taking the initiative to address these issues? Answer decisive questions with Mintel.

The Conscious Consumer – Current Trends

More than half of the population are Conscious Consumers, who proactively pay attention to brands’ mission or social purpose, and strive to prioritize buying brands whose moral values and beliefs align with their own. Socially conscious shopping requires time and effort, and consumers’ ethical considerations vary across categories.

Brands interested in appealing to Conscious Consumers need to invest in building their reputation as a socially conscious brand. This requires brands to strategically focus it’s overarching ethical mission, commit to long-term and actionable initiatives, and leverage third-party certifications and partnerships to help verify the brand’s authenticity and tangible impact.

Conscious Consumer Statistics

• Sustainability is key for Conscious Consumers: Following product quality and safety, brand sustainability is important for 54% of Conscious Consumers, the leading socially conscious purchase factor across categories.
• Conscious Consumers in fashion: In the clothing/apparel industry, Conscious Consumers look for brands’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments, and sustainability and local philanthropy efforts. Overall, 35% of women state that brand ethics in clothing dictate where they shop, signifying a direction for brands.
• Conscious Consumers’ expectations from brands: Gen Z and multicultural consumers take the lead when it comes to expecting brands’ to take a stand on social issues, providing a reason for brands with a younger or multicultural audience to tailor purpose-driven outreach, which is likely expected.

US Conscious Consumer – What’s Inside?

Key Topics Analyzed in the Report

• The market drivers and context behind purpose-driven shopping and consumption
• A demographic profile of Conscious Consumers compared to the total population
• Consumers’ current engagement with ethical and socially conscious consumption
• Shopping priorities and considerations across categories, including both ethical and functional qualities
• Consumers’ outlook on brands recognizing and celebrating awareness holidays related to a culture or cause
• The key challenges to consumer social consciousness and the red flags that denote unethical brands.

Report Scope

What is a Conscious Consumer? For the purposes of this Report, Mintel defines Conscious Consumers as a subset of consumers who self-identify as actively paying attention to brands’ mission or social purpose, and tend to buy from brands/companies whose purpose aligns with the consumer’s own values and moral beliefs.

Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis

This report was written by Lisa Dubina. Lisa has been with Mintel since 2019 and is responsible for the Culture and Identity library. Her insights and reports analyze the underlying psychographic factors that influence how consumers identify, express themselves, build like-minded communities and engage with brands across categories.

For Conscious Consumers ethical shopping is impactful and empowering, but it’s also time-consuming and not shoppers’ top considerations across categories.

Lisa Dubina
Associate Director, Culture & Identity