Money Ipsos Jan 20131 in 2 people wants to improve their financial situation in 2013; 1 in 5 wants to improve their health, and another 1 in 5 seeks more time with friends and family.

What consumers want in 2013 IPSOS Jan 2013Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange has polled 18,000 global citizens from 24 countries under the age of 64 in December 2012 to learn that it’s money that people want, first and foremost, in the new year.

Health and time for friends and family roughly tie for second place, overall.

Not surprisingly, as the data chart for the U.S. shows, more people at the lowest third of household income (HHI) polled in the survey seek to improve their financial situation compared with those people in the highest third of HHI.

Underneath these overall averages are some demographic differences illustrated in the bar chart:

– More men than women place money in first place, where more women favor time spent with friends and family more than men do

– More people under 35 favor money over health and time with friends/family

– More older people (27%) look to health for 2013, vs. 38% of older people seeking to improve finances

– More people who are not employed look to improve their health compared with those who are employed

– Chief income earners in families are most concerned about their financial situations compared with folks who aren’t the chief earners in their families.

Thanks to MarketingCharts.com for assembling the bar chart.

Health Populi’s Hot Points:  Ipsos also polled people at the end of the year on their levels of optimism for 2013; globally, optimism is high, with a greater focus on people doing things for themselves.

This can- and will-do attitude has ramifications for improving health. More people are paying more out of pocket, globally (but especially in the U.S.) for health care. In the post-recession environment, consumers’ demand for doing-it-themselves (expressed by the DIY and maker-faire movements, for example) is rising. Public trust in public and commercial institutions/business has eroded. 2013 will find more people DIY’ing for many aspects of life, but most especially for health.