What We Value: The Primacy of Personal

The Primacy of Personal What We Value

The findings of TWSC’s new global study suggest that the Primacy of Personal is redefining what people value globally, at a moment when three out of four say what they value most has changed. Five key dimensions help to explain this new value equation.

Wave one of our global research initiative to understand what different stakeholders value

Me Over We

Inside Out

Societal Tilts Selfward

Social Descending

Taking Action Is a Tightrope

Personal emotional value is paramount

My safety, security, health, and happiness above all else

Good for the world starts with good for “me and mine”

Social climbing, status, or expression matter less

Negative reaction now rivals positive support

Top Drivers of Emotional Value Rank from the Inside Out

Top Ways for Contributing Societal Value Tilt Selfward

Social Value Is the First Thing People Are Willing to Give Up

Upsides and Downsides, Equally Precipitous

7x

(after monetary and functional)

Personal Emotional Value Trumps Social and Societal

2x #2

Providing personal emotional value is twice as important as either societal or social value for all generations.

For Gen Z and Millennials, providing emotional value is the second most important contribution, after only functional value and more important than monetary value.

23%

15%

25%

14%

Makes me feel secure or safe

Entertains me

Treat people well

Educate me and/or others

22%

14%

22%

14%

Makes me feel healthier

Empowers me

Treat the planet well

Support issues I care about

22%

14%

Gives me joy or happiness

Excites me

In qualitative research, “treats people well” is seen as a proxy for “will treat me well.”

13% Invest in communities

1/2

Across all five value levers and 30 different value driving actions, “increases my social status” ranks lowest with only 7% of people choosing it as most important.

When forced to make tradeoffs across all levers of value, social value becomes less than half as important across all markets..

90% 83%

say they will take a positive action if a company helps them live what they value.

say they will take a negative action if a company conflicts with what they value

Value: The One Measure Everything is Measured By Understanding what people value has always been part of what makes the world go round. Because what people care about, feel is important, believe in or desire, consciously or subconsciously, is also what they’ll spend time, effort and good money on. The same rule applies if you want people to work for you, vote for you, invest in you or otherwise meaningfully engage.

3 out of 4 people globally say what they value has changed in the last 5 years

But in a world upended by a global pandemic amidst a maelstrom of economic, political and technological change, what people value has shifted. A new value equation has emerged. And is redefining the way people engage in the marketplace, society and the world.

Levers of Value & Research Method To understand what people value in a changing world, our study measures a broad set of “value levers” – ranging from the value of something to “me” to the value of something to the community or world “around me.”

How people think about and prioritize these levers forms what we call a “value equation.”

Levers of Value Monetary Value Functional Value Emotional Value Social Value Societal Value

Measuring Value, Modeling Actions What do global audiences say they value across all five levers? What company or brand actions do they feel best deliver that value?

Based on qualitative and quantitative research in the US, UK and across APAC (Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and South Korea), the nationally represented samples of this study allow us to look at similarities and differences across audiences and regions. All surveys were conducted during October 2023.