NEW YORK, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research from Cint, a global leader in research and measurement technology, reveals how sustained inflation is reshaping consumer behavior worldwide as the 2025 holiday season approaches, forcing difficult trade-offs between essentials, celebrations, and discretionary spending.

Cint’s Inflation 2025 Report, based on a global survey of approximately 1,500 consumers across the U.S., UK, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), Singapore, and Japan, highlights mounting financial pressure driven by rising grocery costs, constrained savings, and cautious holiday budgeting. Key findings from the study include:

• Less than half of consumers (49%) are able to save money regularly, while nearly a third report living paycheck to paycheck.
• Grocery costs continue to rise globally, with 68% of respondents seeing prices increase over the past six months.
• Consumers are adapting their shopping habits, turning to store brands, bulk purchases, and reduced dining out to manage food expenses.
• Holiday spending is being scaled back, particularly in ANZ and the UK where the highest levels of reduced seasonal spending were reported.
• Holiday advertising has limited influence, with a majority of consumers saying seasonal ads have little to no impact on how much they spend.
  
  

While financial pressure is widespread, the report also reveals a degree of resilience in the labor market. Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they feel somewhat or very secure in their current job or income source, suggesting cautious optimism even amid economic uncertainty.

“Inflation isn’t just changing what people buy, it’s changing how they plan, prioritize, and participate in major cultural moments like the holidays,” said Natasha Gay, Senior Research Manager, Consumer Insights at Cint. “What we’re seeing is a global consumer who is highly cost-aware, selective, and increasingly resistant to traditional seasonal marketing. Brands need real-time insight to understand where value still resonates.”

Across regions, rising grocery prices emerged as the most immediate and universal pressure point. Consumers are responding by favoring essential staples such as pasta, grains, frozen foods, and canned goods, while cutting back on fresh, premium, or branded items. These shifts are influencing not only everyday shopping but also holiday traditions, from scaled-back meals to reduced travel and fewer gifts.

Despite the importance of the holiday season for advertisers, the report shows that 65% of respondents say holiday advertising has little or no influence on their spending decisions, reinforcing the challenge brands face in connecting with increasingly cautious consumers.

In a year defined by economic uncertainty, the findings offer a grounded snapshot of how consumers are responding, providing clarity as brands and households alike move toward the close of 2025.

View the full Inflation 2025 Report here.

About Cint:
Cint is a global leader in research and measurement technology connecting brands, researchers, academics, or anyone with a question, to a network of over 800 suppliers representing millions of engaged respondents in 130+ countries. The Cint Exchange empowers users to gather insights at scale to build business strategies, develop research-enabled solutions, publish credible research, and more. Lucid Measurement by Cint, our advanced set of media measurement solutions, gives advertisers, media owners, and agencies the tools to measure the effectiveness and brand lift of cross-channel advertising campaigns in real time to optimize media performance while campaigns are live. Both products leverage Cint’s global network of suppliers including panel providers, mobile apps, loyalty programs, and other online communities. These companies use our audience monetization tools to monetize their communities by matching them to survey opportunities.
At Cint, we’re feeding the world’s curiosity.

Cint Group AB (publ), listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (STO: CINT).

Media Contact
Lara Schembri Sant
lara@kitehillpr.com