Consumers Insights in Care

Care CategorieS

In this consumer insights survey, we divided the care economy into four categories:

Infant & childcare:

1.1

New parent tech (e.g. apps to build community among new parents, or measure an infant’s health)

1.2

Clothing (baby clothing, child clothing, maternity & nursing clothing)

1.3

Food (for the child and/or baby, including formula)

1.4

Direct supervision of child in home (nanny, babysitter)

1.5

Direct supervision of child out of home (private pre-K, summer camp, enrichment activities, after-school care)

1.6

Products for baby or child (crib, bottle, blankets, diapers, wipes)

1.7

Products for parent (pump, baby monitor, car seat)

1.8

Entertainment & learning products for child (toys, books, tablets, movies, games)

Aging in place & home care for older adults/people with disabilities:

2.1

Daily essential activities for older adults/people with disabilities (meals, personal care, home repair, delivery, transportation)

2.2

Care coordination for older adults/people with disabilities (planning, professional engagement, recovery / support services)

2.3

Professional and unpaid caregiver quality of life for older adults/people with disabilities (respite and backup care, social support, health and wellness)

2.4

Health and safety awareness for older adults/people with disabilities (health and vital alerts, personal safety, telehealth, medication management)

2.5

Transition support for older adults/people with disabilities (home retrofit services, long term care insurance planning)

2.6

Social wellbeing for older adults/people with disabilities (digital inclusion such as wifi installation and access; life enrichment & empowerment activities such as gardening, crafting, music/dance, and cooking, etc.; life companions; community networking)

2.7

In-home care provision for older adults with disabilities (home healthcare & home nursing care, home therapy, durable medical equipment)

Non-home-based, long-term care for older adults and people with disabilities:

3.1

Hospice/palliative care for older adults/people with disabilities (hospital or home services)

3.2

Retirement centers for older adults/people with disabilities (communities, assisted living)

3.3

Long-term care insurance for older adults/people with disabilities (group, individual, credit policies)

Household management:

4.1

Cleaning services

4.2

Cleaning supplies such as bleach & polishes, home insecticides, multi-purpose cleaners, drain cleaner, vacuum cleaner, wipes

4.3

Laundry or Laundromat services

4.4

Fabric softeners, detergents

4.5

Cooking services such as meal-prep services, pre-made food subscription and delivery

4.6

Groceries

4.7

Household appliances such as oven/microwave, stove, Dishwasher, washing machines, small cooking appliances

4.8

Lawn care & snow removal

4.9

Home repair & maintenance (painting, plumbing, etc.)

Methodology

In this consumer insights survey, we divided the care economy into four categories:

WHO ARE WE CAPTURING?

The survey captured a sample of 3,110 caregivers that are representative of the U.S. census across gender, age, race/ethnicity, and income. This survey screened for adults in America with caregiving responsibilities, whether adult- or child care.

WHAT DID WE CAPTURE + HOW?

Each respondent answered a series of questions specific to their reported care responsibilities, whether adult care, childcare or both as “dual caregivers.” Across care types and caregiver demographics, the survey assessed respondents’ decision-making responsibility, willingness to pay, and key buying factors such as product messaging and stigma with purchasing care services.

In addition to utilizing insights from this caregiver consumer survey, the team conducted semi-structured interviews with numerous care startups and convened an advisory council of ~25 leading care founders and investors/funders in the care space, which met regularly to share their expertise in care entrepreneurship and inform this work.

Aging in place & home care for older adults/people with disabilities:

DEMOGRAPHICS: We assessed respondents’ gender, age, race/ethnicity, income, employment status, geography, family size and structure. All insights can be narrowed to a certain demographic or a combination of demographics.

CARE DUTIES: We asked respondents who the caregiver cared for, the level of care needed, what types of activities they supported with, and what level of caregiving responsibilities the respondents claimed.

PURCHASING BEHAVIOR PROFILE: We asked respondents about their current care arrangements, how frequently they used them, how they heard about them, and their typical spend. In addition, their purchasing behavior profile included insights on their satisfaction levels, perception of affordability, and which other spend categories they would dip into if care costs increased. The latter touched on both their existing care purchases as well as the outlook on the broader set of options.

DECISION MAKING FOR CARE PURCHASES: We assessed the level of decision making responsibility respondents claimed in purchasing various subtypes of care products of services in every care category. This was measured on a scale of 1-5, from making purchase decisions alone 100% of the time, to 75%, 50%, 25%, to never making purchase decisions.

WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR CARE: We asked respondents with high decision-making responsibilities for their maximum willingness to spend in their relevant care subcategories.

ATTITUDES AND BUYING FACTORS: We offered various branding and product messaging archetypes to assess how framing affected likelihood of purchase. We also assessed what stigma respondents associated with purchasing various products and services across the respondents’ relevant care subcategories on a scale from 1-5, ranging from high stigma (“would not want to hire help”) to low stigma (“definitely prefer paying for someone else to help with this task”)