Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Deb B. | Delivered July 19, 2020

US Moms with HHI>80k

Goals

Support the development of a go-to-market creative (image/message) and media strategy for a startup company offering coaching services to mothers in the US in a 1:1 format, group format and to corporations as an employee benefit, by better understanding what information / motivators they have for choosing coaching. The target mother has an annual household income of more than $80,000 and is looking for support. 

The report should include any demographic and psychographic information about why a woman like this would seek support, and how they determine which support. It should specifically address what type of mothers choose life coaches instead of therapists or religious leaders, and why. Other information to be provided include their average age, relationship status, age of children, employment status, sexual orientation, religious orientation, geography, urban vs. suburban vs. rural, and their ethnicity. 

If the above is unavailable OR if the information can be found, the report should also provide their media consumption, brands they like/follow, and their interests or causes they follow.

Early Findings

Profiling the Audience The median household income in the US is $60,000. The median household income only tops $80,000 once the age of the householder is in the 45-54-year-old range, with an average of 49 years old.  41.7% of households fall into this bracket or higher.
Since the average age of first childbirth in the US was 26.3 in 2016 (the last time the National Center for Health Statistics published full data), their children are likely around 22.7-25 years old (the age gap between men and women at marriage is about 2.3 years). 
However, women with college degrees on average have their first birth a whopping 7 years after those women without a college degree. The former average at 30.3 years old, while the latter have their first child at 23.8 years old. Therefore, children might be about 19 years old or younger. 
Zooming into the women-at 45-54 years old, they make a median average of $44,252 annually.
The Pew Research Center defines the middle class as those that earn between 2/3s and double the median income. Therefore, the middle class as of 2019 would encompass those earning $40,000-$120,000, comfortably including the households and women the research is looking at. Note that the lived experience of being "middle class" also takes into account WHERE in the US the family is located; taxes, cost of living, childcare, and more can mean that a household with an income perceived as middle-class in Tennessee would be considered a lower income household in New York City. 
Only the District of Columbia and Maryland had a median household income of $80,000 and above. 
Looking at average household incomes, the following fit the criteria: District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, Hawaii
, Washington, Virginia, Connecticut, California, New York, New Hampshire, Utah, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Delaware, Rhode Island, Oregon, Alaska, 
Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, Texas, Vermont, South Dakota, Kansas, Nevada, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, South Carolina, Wyoming. 
The top religious affiliations remain across income, but their ranking changes. For households earning between $50,000-$99,000, 27% are Evangelical Protestant, 23% are unaffiliated, and 20% are Catholic. For those earning $100,000 and above, 20% are Evangelical Protestant, 26% are unaffiliated, and 21% are Catholic. 
Our target audience also most likely identifies as middle or upper class. 65% Americans with family incomes from $50,000 to $99,999 a year and even 46% of Americans with family incomes of $100,000 and up a year say they're middle class. 
While educational attainment is pretty evenly spread among those that say they're middle class and those that don't say they are, 31% of college-educated Americans say they are upper class vs. less than 11% of those that didn't attend or complete college. 
In 2017, only 4.5% of the US population identified as LGBT. Therefore, the target audience overwhelmingly identifies as heterosexual.   

Life Coaches vs. Therapists Therapists are licensed and regulated by the state. They have regulated education, and training. Most people seek out a therapist because they may be experiencing symptoms of a mental health issue, or because they want to increase insight or self-awareness. They share a common language with other health experts and can deal with daily life as well as mental health issues. 
Coaches MAY seek out specialized training and certification but there is no state board. As an unregulated industry, anyone can be a life coach. Coaching tends to focus on the present and future by helping people identify goals and potential obstacles. There is a heavy focus on accountability, which pushes people to do more than they would on their own.  