VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - September 21, 2016) - HomeStars recently polled over 1,000 residents of British Columbia to determine their attitudes towards, and use of, online reviews. Specifically, the survey examined the attitudes of three different age groups: Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers.
Examining influence and trust
Of all respondents, 27% said online reviews influence their purchase decisions "always" or "most of the time". This compares to 44% for Millennial respondents, but only 14% of Baby Boomers. Almost 2/3 of all respondents (63%) felt online reviews were either "somewhat trustworthy" or "very trustworthy". However, their feelings of trust declined with age, with Millennials at 71%, but Boomers at only 56%. In fact, Boomers were the most skeptical group with 16% believing online reviews are "very untrustworthy".
For what kind of purchases are people most likely to read online reviews?
All age groups were most likely to read reviews when shopping online (53%). Second to shopping online, Millennials and Generation X mostly used reviews for smaller purchases like finding a restaurant (24% and 20% respectively), whereas Baby Boomers used online reviews most often when planning a vacation (30%).
What about online reviews for home improvement?
Of all respondents, 32% had done a significant home renovation (over $5,000 in the last 5 years) and more than a quarter of those had a bad experience. When it comes to due diligence, Millennials were the most likely to use online reviews to hire a contractor -- 16% citing "always" or "most of the time". By comparison, Baby Boomers were the least likely at only 6%, yet that age group had done the most large-scale renovations in the last five years.
Which age groups are actually writing online reviews?
Overall, 44% of all respondents had never written an online review. Yet 11% of Millennials and Generation X have written 10 or more reviews, which was twice the rate of Baby Boomers. Surprisingly, over 58% of all respondents said they have never written a negative review online. Of those who had written a negative review, Millennials and Generation X were twice as likely to write frequent negative reviews (10 or more) than Baby Boomers.
Editor's Note: Responses were collected through Google Consumer Surveys from August 31 - September 5, 2016, with over 1,000 B.C. respondents. The age breakdown (as per Google) was: Millennial (18 - 34), Generation X (35 - 54) and Baby Boomers (55+).
About HomeStars
HomeStars is a free service helping homeowners find reputable renovators, repairmen and retailers through its database of two million companies and hundreds of thousands of reviews. Homeowners write reviews based on their home improvement experiences -- both good and bad -- helping build a collective knowledge base that is invaluable in helping homeowners make better hiring decisions. HomeStars has a dedicated team of analysts who validate every review before it is published. A trusted resource since 2006, HomeStars has grown to be the leading online community of homeowners and home improvement companies in Canada. To learn more, visit www.homestars.com or check them out on Facebook or Twitter.
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Contact Information:
Media Contact
Leslie Andrachuk
416.625.2083
press@homestars.com
