M&S survey: Half of consumers say families ‘unrecognisable’ from 20 years ago

While traditional ideas on the subject are still very common, people are increasingly broadening their views about what constitutes a family.

This, combined with trends accelerated by the pandemic, is influencing consumption habits and behaviour, M&S’ first Family Matters Index showed.

Half of 10,000 people surveyed on behalf of M&S by Yonder Consulting believe that “the make-up of families is unrecognisable compared with 20 years ago”. 

More than half (55%) think that “family is defined more by who you feel close to than by biology”.

Many (42%) think the definition of family includes people who live in the same household but are not related, while similar percentages believe family can be represented by friends or people they have grown up with.

M&S director of communications Victoria McKenzie-Gould said such changes prompted marketing considerations, such as the types of image used to represent and appeal to contemporary consumers.

The research, which will be published on an ongoing, quarterly basis, showed that health, finances and children’s development,  as well as ‘big-picture’ issues such as the environment, inequality and division in society, were among the most common topics for conversation among families, along with post-Covid plans.

Such themes highlight the opportunity for retailers to help customers with health and wellbeing products or by providing value for money.

M&S, which has traditionally catered for family shoppers, aims to be “more relevant, more often to more people”.

For instance, the retailer launched the Goodmove activewear range earlier this year, reflecting an increased interest in health and exercise, and brought in lower prices on food staples through its ‘ReMarksable value’ products.

McKenzie-Gould said: “We’ve launched the Family Matters Index to obtain and share a deeper understanding of how the UK’s families are feeling and what they’re doing.

“Through the quarterly index, we want to stay close to families across the UK so we can deliver our promise of trusted value on the things that matter to them most.”