Navigating the new brand challenge: an ever-changing human landscape.

Nearly a decade of global consumer insights tracking what people truly prioritize tells us how their needs are shifting.

Strategic Guidance Grounded in Quantified Human Insights

We decode how rapid global change is reshaping human priorities—then translate that understanding into strategic guidance for messaging, innovation, and growth.

100,000+ Participants

Surveyed Annually

100+ Human Priorities

Tracked Consistently

9+ Years of Data

Longitudinally tracked with multiple collection points per year

4 Cohorts

Adults | Parents | Teens | Kids

5 Generations

Baby Boomers | Gen X | Millennials | Gen Z | Gen Alpha

10 Global Markets

  
    This has become our leading barometer on headwinds and tailwinds facing our brand. This is one of the few studies funded by the office of the chairman to guide corporate strategy.

— Sr. Director, The LEGO Group

Trusted by global brands for strategic human insights

PepsiCo - Human-ology Consumer Insights Partner

St Jude - Human-ology Consumer Insights Partner

McDonald’s - Human-ology Consumer Research Partner

Frito Lay - Human-ology Strategic Insights Client

Airbnb - Human-ology Consumer Research Partner

Kraft Heinz - Human-ology Strategic Insights Partner

IKEA - Human-ology Consumer Research Client

American Heart Association - Human-ology Insights Client

MillerKnoll - Human-ology Strategic Research Client

General Mills - Human-ology Consumer Research Client

Popeyes - Human-ology Consumer Insights Client

National Park Foundation - Human-ology Consumer Research Client

New Balance - Human-ology Strategic Research Partner

What we care about as human beings drives what we do as consumers.

Our human priorities (what we value, protect, and pursue) drive every decision we make as consumers. These priorities are the deeper “why” that helps brands diagnose challenges, spark innovation, and forge genuine connections with the people they serve.

Here’s one example: in an increasingly unstable world, personal safety beats public passion.

Our priorities are evolving constantly. Economic volatility, technological disruption, and cultural transformation are reshaping what people need from the brands in their lives. This creates both risk and opportunity.

Across markets, Adults are pulling back from causes and leaning into control.

The data shows a clear divergence: rising concern for safety, declining urgency around activism. This isn’t apathy. It’s recalibration. And it changes what relevance looks like.

Adults’ Trending Priorities
10 Country Roll-up

For brands, the opportunity is clear.

Show up as a source of stability. Reduce friction. Lower risk. Offer reassurance in real, practical ways. People are gravitating toward what feels dependable, protective, and steady. Brands that create a sense of control will earn trust and meet people where they are today.

2026 Human Tensions & Trajectories:
Annual Strategic Report

Human Tensions and Trajectories - Human-ology

Drawing on nearly a decade of global tracking across adults, parents, teens, and kids, this report surfaces three defining tensions of 2026 and five human trajectories emerging from them. The pattern is clear: People aren’t chasing more—they’re designing lives that feel emotionally sustainable.

Download the report to uncover:
⦿ Why emotional energy has become one of the scarcest resources
⦿ How nostalgia, restraint, and smaller circles are helping people regain equilibrium
⦿ What “emotional minimalism” really means, and why it’s not going away
⦿ The implications for brands trying to stay relevant without adding noise

If you’re responsible for understanding people, not just markets, this report offers a grounded, human map of how priorities are changing in 2026, and how brands can meet people where they actually are.