Decoding "coping consumption" driven by "moyamoya fullness"

Organizing Coping Methods into Three Types

Small daily consumption acts as coping

Our research revealed that F2 consumers engage in the consumption of goods, services, and content as a coping behavior for stress. We have named this overall pattern of consumption "coping consumption."

We believe coping consumption represents a broad concept encompassing not only established activities like stress-relief or comfort consumption, but also all forms of emotional self-care aimed at shifting perspectives or moods to restore mental balance.

Looking at actual coping behaviors among F2, activities like "getting sleep," "eating," "being alone," "zoning out," and "watching TV" ranked highly. Considering their relationship to consumption, for example, "getting sleep" could lead to purchases like a slightly better mattress or pillow. Similarly, desires to "zone out" or "be alone" might drive visits to cafes, potentially connecting to a wide range of consumption.

Incidentally, regarding "watching TV," our separate surveys also show increasing numbers selecting "to change moods or relieve stress" as the value they seek from TV in recent years, indicating a strong connection.

A key characteristic of F2's coping consumption is its overlap with everyday activities. While traditional stress-relief consumption might immediately bring to mind non-routine activities like travel or spa treatments, the data shows these are relatively infrequent.

The reason, as mentioned previously, is that F2s are often overwhelmed by "housework," "childcare," and "work," leaving them with limited free time. Furthermore, household financial burdens like education costs and loans tend to be heavy, resulting in lower disposable income. Given this lifestyle filled with constraints and sacrifices, it's understandable that F2s must cope through their daily routines and actions within their living environment.

For example, we see the key point of F2's coping consumption in small, everyday expansions—like slightly indulging personal preferences during regular family shopping or buying a higher-grade product.

The defining characteristic of coping consumption is that it exists within the fabric of daily life.

The Six "Coping Values" Behind Coping Consumption

As you can see, F2 coping consumption represents a broad market with significant business opportunities. However, the wide variety of consumption targets may make it challenging to approach. We therefore concluded that understanding the values sought in coping consumption would provide valuable insights for approach strategies.

We defined the true purpose behind coping consumption as "coping values" and set out to clarify their nature.

Specifically, we conducted qualitative research, then quantitative research based on hypotheses derived from it. We then applied factor analysis to the quantitative results and interpreted the findings. This revealed that Coping Values for F2 can be organized into the following six patterns.

First is "Security and Stability" – the ability to relax, feel at ease, and spend time calmly. Precisely because F2 individuals often carry anxiety, this itself holds significant value.

The second is "Freedom/Carefree." Precisely because they juggle many roles and often put themselves last, they crave even brief moments to do what they enjoy alone.

Third is "Excitement/Exhilaration" – feeling refreshed or uplifted through an activity. Precisely because they feel foggy-headed daily, they crave even a slight mood boost when feeling down.

Fourth is "Escape and Forgetfulness" – temporarily slipping away from reality and time. This reflects a desire to create a psychologically detached space just for themselves, even if only briefly.

Fifth is "growth and a sense of accomplishment." F2 individuals often struggle to affirm themselves. This reflects a desire to feel more confident or discover a new side of themselves.

Sixth is "Acceptance and Recognition" – feeling joy when someone understands you or shares your feelings.

F2's coping values have six patterns

Incidentally, among these six types, "Excitement/Euphoria" and "Escape/Forgetting" are easily understood as the traditional stress-relief domains. However, we are now focusing on the four additional domains on either side: "Security/Stability," "Freedom/Spontaneity," "Growth/Sense of Accomplishment," and "Acceptance/Recognition" as the new coping values for today's F2 generation.

Thank you for reading this far. In the next and final installment, we'll use these coping values to analyze recent hit products and trending content, discussing the potential of marketing based on coping values.