YouGov’s Director of Digital, Media & Technology shares lessons from early tech adoption report

Tell us more about the dataset this research was based upon? 

The data was from our connected dataset called Profiles. We take our panellists’ answers to various internal and syndicated studies that we run, and connect their data. Over the years we have built up (and continue to build) huge data points about our panellists thoughts, behaviours and perceptions – from environmental issues, where people shop for groceries, their driving habits, favourite films, mobile handset etc. The dataset in this white paper is from representative samples of our Profiles tool looking at wearables, smart home technology, 5G, televisions and more.

How wide a range of people can benefit from the findings of the whitepaper? 

The paper focuses across different data points in each market e.g. smart speakers in the US, 5G in France etc. Whilst we may focus on a particular market and an issue such as 5G in France, we also hold this information in other markets such as the UK or Germany.

What are some of the most salient findings from the report? 

Emerging tech such as 5G, I think is really interesting as this is starting to take off across the world with consumers starting to adapt to handsets that offer this technology. Whilst penetration is low, flagship devices such as the iPhone 12 will really help to get 5G tariff ownership out there whilst the 5G roll out in different markets continue. Ultimately though 5G is going to be more beneficial for businesses as well with smart infrastructure enabling things we can only imagine.

What did you notice that was the most useful or unexpected point from the whitepaper? 

The rate of technology adoption across different markets in each region. It was no surprise to see Sweden top of the pile for Europe in terms of dedicated followers, but I was surprised to see Italy so high in comparison to other western European markets.

How should/could brands use the report? 

By understanding the adoption rate of new technology of each population and where brands could look to particular influencers to showcase their wares. We know dedicated followers and those in the first wave can make or break new tech and their opinions are vital in helping new devices reach the mainstream – alongside some key messages of course like user cases etc.

How else can YouGov’s tech dataset be used – are other research projects using it on the horizon? 

Many brands use our connected datasets to understand more about their customers or potential customers whether that be to increase their market share in an established market, acquire new customers from their competitors, or to understand a potential new market. It’s not just tech datasets that our clients are interested but all of our dataset. Where that be understanding iPhone owners that drive an Audi, or those that watch Netflix daily and are a teacher. We are able to understand so much more about consumers than single set datasets provide.