Young people are going out 29% more often than 12 months ago

Young people are defying the difficult economic conditions and going out 29% more often than 12 months ago.

Deloitte's Taste of the Nation survey found that Generation Y (18- to 34-year-olds) were going out 32 times a month, up from 25 a year ago. That's twice as often as 35- to 54-year-olds (16 times a month) and more than three times as often as baby boomers (55+ years), who go out 10 times a month.

Jon Lake, a corporate finance director in the licensed retail group at Deloitte, said: "The going-out market remains resilient, owing to Generation Y's more carefree lifestyle and a touch of ‘austerity fatigue'. They expect to go out even more over the next six months, which demonstrates just how ingrained going out is in their lives. It is a lifestyle, not a luxury, and has become embedded in their culture.

"Generation Y also tend to be heavy users of social media and are highly adept at seeking out online offers to fuel their lifestyle. Operators have been very successful in targeting this particular audience and should continue to do so as they are long-term customers."

While consumers across all the regions are going out more now than they were 12 months ago, those in the South-east are going out significantly more often than consumers elsewhere in the UK: 23 times a month, up 18% year-on-year, buoyed by the London market. Consumers in the North are going out 19.8 times a month (up 8% year-on-year), those in the Midlands 18.6 times a month (+19%) and in the South-west 15.6 times a month (+1.9%).

In previous surveys, men indicated they intended to reduce their going-out behaviour. However they actually went out more: 24.4 occasions in a month compared with 20.3 last year and 60% more often than women (15 times a month). Both the men and women surveyed now predict they will go out more over the coming months, influenced by the prospect of longer summer days and the hope of better weather.

By Neil Gerrard

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