T
The Green Scopie
Guest
Found this on a demographics/marketing website. It is one of over 200 subgroups. Remind you of anybody?
Group B: Happy Families
Type B14: In Military Quarters
Sociology and Environment
Summary
In Military Quarters contains servicemen and their families who live in military accommodation.
Demography
In Military Quarters is found in areas that were built by the Department of Defence to house servicemen and women and their immediate families. Most of these neighbourhoods surround important military bases and are protected by gates and barbed wire from access by unauthorised civilians. Among these bases are a number, such as Lakenheath and Mildenhall, which are operated by the USA as NATO partners, contributing to the 4% of the population born in the USA that are resident in England and Wales. As might be expected a particularly high proportion of people in this type of neighbourhood describe themselves as in good health. Recruitment of service personnel occurs in their late teens but by the age of forty almost all residents will have returned to the civilian sector. These neighbourhoods accommodate not just service personnel but also their wives and children. Servicemen are particularly unlikely to remain single and many get married at a very early age. Co-habitation rates are particularly low for such a young population and children arrive early in people’s lives. Many households have two or more children though these, as they reach secondary school age, will find their parents returning to civilian life. Quite apart from the US contingent many of the population were born abroad. This needs to be interpreted with care as many of the foreign born residents who were born within in the European Union, in Cyprus or the Far East are likely to be the children of servicemen and women rather than service personnel themselves. The tiny representations of people of Caribbean and Indian origins are testimony to the difficulty the forces continue to have in recruiting from minorities other than the Irish. Census statistics demonstrate clearly the transient nature of life in the armed forces, in which a third of the population change their address each year. It is as much for this reason as for security that it makes sense for the government to take responsibility for their accommodation which in most cases is provided as a condition of employment rather than as rented units.
Environment
In Military Quarters is scattered around the country in places accessible to deep-water harbours, for the navy, on land that had little agricultural value, for the army, or which is flat enough for landing aircraft, for the Royal Air Force. Aldershot, the Salisbury Plain, the Solent, Suffolk and North Yorkshire are the parts of the country which best suit these criteria. These neighbourhoods are usually found outside main centres of population, defended with increased security by barbed wire perimeter fencing and by armed patrols. Within these compounds accommodation is laid out in a very spacious manner, in small blocks built using prefabricated techniques separated by large expanses of mown grass. The accommodation shows complete disregard for aesthetic detail, which can hardly be helpful for the children, and is laid out in military orderliness in streets named after famous battles or successful military leaders. Most of these compounds provide residents with a full range of services on site but taxis and sometimes regular bus services provide access to neighbouring towns that provide casual and temporary paid employment for many of the service wives.
Economy
Although these neighbourhoods guarantee full employment, the expansion or closure of individual bases can have a major impact on the supporting civilian economies, especially in the rural areas where many are situated.
Consumer Values
In Military Quarters places a premium on function and performance over style. With many necessities, such as housing, travel and food being taken care of by employers, leisure equipment is the key area where individual choice can be expressed. The development of technical skills is also an important value which is reflected in large numbers enrolling on distance learning courses which will help them not only in their current employment but also ease the transition to civilian life in their early forties.
Consumption Patterns
In Military Quarters offers a small but important market in a number of product categories. As might be expected, they are heavy spenders on sports equipment and spend a disproportionate amount of time playing golf, squash and engaging in walking and country pursuits. It is also a productive market for manufacturers of small but high value electronic items, in particular cameras and videos. These people are particularly likely to own computers and to find the Internet a valuable source of product information in the absence of good access to local suppliers. They also use the Internet to email friends and extended family, which is particular convenient for people on regular foreign tours of duty. Clearly this is a less rewarding market for the sale of mortgages than of personal loans and a very poor market for home improvement and gardening products. Sun readership is much higher than average and many residents are heavy readers of magazines.
Change
The only foreseeable change to this type of neighbourhood will be a broadening of its ethnic mix.
Culture and Consumer Psychology
Arguably, a certain type of person is attracted to a military career. They are typically extrovert, risk takers, who pay a great deal of attention to physical fitness and health. It is interesting to see to what extent these personality traits are also evident in their consumption behaviour. It is worth pointing out, however, that the In Military Quarters households are, to some degree, a special case, in that a great deal of their activities and, to some extent, their lifestyle is influenced by their employers, the Armed Forces. For example, they may move frequently or spend periods living overseas.
As consumers, these are a very advertising literate type. They notice advertisements and see them as entertaining, while recognising the role of advertising in guiding consumption choices, and even tempting them into purchases which they may not have considered. Very much innovators and early adopters, they are keen to buy the latest gadgets and try out new brands. They may well be market ‘mavens’ – well informed consumers to whom others look for advice and guidance before making new purchases. They are heavily into new technology, particularly the Internet. This may be partly due to the value of the Internet as an international medium of communication and information, for these well-travelled consumers. High interest in mail order and TV shopping as well as buying via the Internet, is also probably reflective of a somewhat nomadic, and certainly busy lifestyle.
Extroverts, who like to stand out and pay a great deal of attention to personal appearance and diet - all year-round tans are seen as desirable - they may express their adventurous nature through distinctive fast cars, new brands and exotic cuisine. They enjoy traditionally male-oriented leisure pursuits, with drinking (especially beer) high on the list. Career minded, they are aiming for the top (which may be another reason why a military career beckoned, with its clear route through the hierarchical rungs). But they may also have set their sights on the longer term goal of a second career after retirement from the Armed Forces, and may see themselves as entrepreneurs, setting up their own businesses in the future.
Long-term planning may need more attention though, as the tendency right now seems to be to ‘live for today’ and to prefer spending money over saving it. Often impulsive consumers, they enjoy spending money without thinking – but this may be due to the fact that some of them will be living in quarters with meals and board provided, so all their income is perceived as ‘spending money’.
It is perhaps important to bear in mind, that it is not easy to discern to what extent these trends also apply to their partners and families. However, the overall impression is one of ‘work hard, play hard’.
Group B: Happy Families
Type B14: In Military Quarters
Sociology and Environment
Summary
In Military Quarters contains servicemen and their families who live in military accommodation.
Demography
In Military Quarters is found in areas that were built by the Department of Defence to house servicemen and women and their immediate families. Most of these neighbourhoods surround important military bases and are protected by gates and barbed wire from access by unauthorised civilians. Among these bases are a number, such as Lakenheath and Mildenhall, which are operated by the USA as NATO partners, contributing to the 4% of the population born in the USA that are resident in England and Wales. As might be expected a particularly high proportion of people in this type of neighbourhood describe themselves as in good health. Recruitment of service personnel occurs in their late teens but by the age of forty almost all residents will have returned to the civilian sector. These neighbourhoods accommodate not just service personnel but also their wives and children. Servicemen are particularly unlikely to remain single and many get married at a very early age. Co-habitation rates are particularly low for such a young population and children arrive early in people’s lives. Many households have two or more children though these, as they reach secondary school age, will find their parents returning to civilian life. Quite apart from the US contingent many of the population were born abroad. This needs to be interpreted with care as many of the foreign born residents who were born within in the European Union, in Cyprus or the Far East are likely to be the children of servicemen and women rather than service personnel themselves. The tiny representations of people of Caribbean and Indian origins are testimony to the difficulty the forces continue to have in recruiting from minorities other than the Irish. Census statistics demonstrate clearly the transient nature of life in the armed forces, in which a third of the population change their address each year. It is as much for this reason as for security that it makes sense for the government to take responsibility for their accommodation which in most cases is provided as a condition of employment rather than as rented units.
Environment
In Military Quarters is scattered around the country in places accessible to deep-water harbours, for the navy, on land that had little agricultural value, for the army, or which is flat enough for landing aircraft, for the Royal Air Force. Aldershot, the Salisbury Plain, the Solent, Suffolk and North Yorkshire are the parts of the country which best suit these criteria. These neighbourhoods are usually found outside main centres of population, defended with increased security by barbed wire perimeter fencing and by armed patrols. Within these compounds accommodation is laid out in a very spacious manner, in small blocks built using prefabricated techniques separated by large expanses of mown grass. The accommodation shows complete disregard for aesthetic detail, which can hardly be helpful for the children, and is laid out in military orderliness in streets named after famous battles or successful military leaders. Most of these compounds provide residents with a full range of services on site but taxis and sometimes regular bus services provide access to neighbouring towns that provide casual and temporary paid employment for many of the service wives.
Economy
Although these neighbourhoods guarantee full employment, the expansion or closure of individual bases can have a major impact on the supporting civilian economies, especially in the rural areas where many are situated.
Consumer Values
In Military Quarters places a premium on function and performance over style. With many necessities, such as housing, travel and food being taken care of by employers, leisure equipment is the key area where individual choice can be expressed. The development of technical skills is also an important value which is reflected in large numbers enrolling on distance learning courses which will help them not only in their current employment but also ease the transition to civilian life in their early forties.
Consumption Patterns
In Military Quarters offers a small but important market in a number of product categories. As might be expected, they are heavy spenders on sports equipment and spend a disproportionate amount of time playing golf, squash and engaging in walking and country pursuits. It is also a productive market for manufacturers of small but high value electronic items, in particular cameras and videos. These people are particularly likely to own computers and to find the Internet a valuable source of product information in the absence of good access to local suppliers. They also use the Internet to email friends and extended family, which is particular convenient for people on regular foreign tours of duty. Clearly this is a less rewarding market for the sale of mortgages than of personal loans and a very poor market for home improvement and gardening products. Sun readership is much higher than average and many residents are heavy readers of magazines.
Change
The only foreseeable change to this type of neighbourhood will be a broadening of its ethnic mix.
Culture and Consumer Psychology
Arguably, a certain type of person is attracted to a military career. They are typically extrovert, risk takers, who pay a great deal of attention to physical fitness and health. It is interesting to see to what extent these personality traits are also evident in their consumption behaviour. It is worth pointing out, however, that the In Military Quarters households are, to some degree, a special case, in that a great deal of their activities and, to some extent, their lifestyle is influenced by their employers, the Armed Forces. For example, they may move frequently or spend periods living overseas.
As consumers, these are a very advertising literate type. They notice advertisements and see them as entertaining, while recognising the role of advertising in guiding consumption choices, and even tempting them into purchases which they may not have considered. Very much innovators and early adopters, they are keen to buy the latest gadgets and try out new brands. They may well be market ‘mavens’ – well informed consumers to whom others look for advice and guidance before making new purchases. They are heavily into new technology, particularly the Internet. This may be partly due to the value of the Internet as an international medium of communication and information, for these well-travelled consumers. High interest in mail order and TV shopping as well as buying via the Internet, is also probably reflective of a somewhat nomadic, and certainly busy lifestyle.
Extroverts, who like to stand out and pay a great deal of attention to personal appearance and diet - all year-round tans are seen as desirable - they may express their adventurous nature through distinctive fast cars, new brands and exotic cuisine. They enjoy traditionally male-oriented leisure pursuits, with drinking (especially beer) high on the list. Career minded, they are aiming for the top (which may be another reason why a military career beckoned, with its clear route through the hierarchical rungs). But they may also have set their sights on the longer term goal of a second career after retirement from the Armed Forces, and may see themselves as entrepreneurs, setting up their own businesses in the future.
Long-term planning may need more attention though, as the tendency right now seems to be to ‘live for today’ and to prefer spending money over saving it. Often impulsive consumers, they enjoy spending money without thinking – but this may be due to the fact that some of them will be living in quarters with meals and board provided, so all their income is perceived as ‘spending money’.
It is perhaps important to bear in mind, that it is not easy to discern to what extent these trends also apply to their partners and families. However, the overall impression is one of ‘work hard, play hard’.