Identity Framework Evolution

Signal overview

Signal area

DEMOGRAPHICS

Signal intensity

Low

Medium

High

Horizon 1

1-2 years

Horizon 2

3-5 years

Horizon 3

6-10 years

Sectors

Retail
Gambling
Gaming
Automotive
Utilities
FMCG
Alcohol
Travel
Restaurants
Consumer Technology
Banking And Finance

Traditional demographic categories that once defined personal and group identity – including nationality, religion, ethnicity, generation, gender, and socioeconomic class – are giving way to more complex, fluid, and self-constructed identity frameworks.

This transformation is accelerating through digital environments where individuals explore and express multidimensional identities unconstrained by physical markers or geographic proximity.

These shifts extend beyond individual identity to community formation, with “chosen” affiliation groups based on shared values, interests, and worldviews gaining primacy over inherited or assigned group memberships. Although individual identities may be in flux, recognition and group affiliation will continue to hold significant value for many.

Business impact

Marketing strategies are evolving beyond demographics

While traditional demographic targeting remains useful and widely used, businesses are increasingly incorporating values-based and behavioral segmentation to better understand consumer motivations and self-perceptions – and to drive personalization efforts.

Political and social dynamics are becoming more fluid

As identity-based coalitions shift toward issue-specific alignments, political systems reliant on traditional voting blocs may increasingly fragment. Businesses operating in these spaces will need to navigate increasingly dynamic public sentiment.

Social cohesion is both challenged and redefined

The erosion of shared identity frameworks could weaken broad societal unity, but consumers will still crave connection and social integration will be seen as an essential component of personal wellbeing. Businesses are invited to promote individual identity-building, while also facilitating connection and community-building.