From bowser to basket, 9 in 10 Aussies are feeling the impact of rising prices
26% of households earn over $160k, but are still concerned about rising prices
Aussies lose trust in banks as popularity of buy now, pay later rises
78% worry about petrol prices
Sydney - September 30, 2025 - New research from Nielsen Consumer & Media View (CMV) shows that the Australian economy is a tale of two wallets. At one end, more than a quarter of households (26%) bring in more than $160,000 a year. At the other, one in five Australians live on less than $25,000, underscoring a growing income divide.
However, what unites the two is the impact of cost-of-living pressures. Almost nine in ten Australians (roughly 20.1 million people) are worried about the price of groceries, while 17.7 million say they are concerned about the rising cost of fuel.
Nielsen CMV data also shows that Australians are increasingly becoming value-seekers carefully weighing up fairness, quality and trust when making purchasing decisions.
Meanwhile, almost three quarters of the population consider themselves bargain hunters and are willing to switch brands if the price is right, while two-thirds say they are careful with their money.
This cautious financial mindset extends to traditional financial institutions, with four in ten Australians expressing distrust towards major banks.
This is proving fertile ground for new financial institutions, such as Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) provider, AfterPay, with three-quarters of Australians aware of the newcomer.
While debit cards remain the most common payment tool, credit cards are still widely used, largely for the reward programs they're linked to. However, cash continues to play a major role in everyday life, with more than a third of Australians preferring to use it for small purchases.
Online grocery shopping has also gained traction, with 7 million Australians now getting their food and drinks online, despite the majority of retail journeys still involving a trip to the store.
Nielsen's data also shows that generational and regional divides define consumer behaviour, with Gen Z and Millennials being firm digital digital natives , embracing online shopping, social commerce and BNPL at high rates, while older Australians (Gen X and Baby Boomers) dominate the nation's wealth, and tend to prioritise saving, brand loyalty and reliability. Similarly, metro Australia, (roughly 72% of the population), leads the way in digital adoption and discretionary spending, while regional Australians remain more traditional and loyal to established brands and local retailers.
Glenn Channell, Nielsen's Pacific Head of Advanced Analytics said: The cost-of-living crunch doesn't discriminate. Whether they're earning a little or a lot, Australians are looking for fairness and value in every purchase. With Nielsen CMV Persona Packs, we can rapidly profile how different households are navigating these pressures, giving retailers, brands, and financial service providers the insights they need to respond with speed and precision.
Monique Perry, Managing Director of Nielsen Pacific added: This data shows that no matter where Australians sit on the income scale, everyone is rethinking how they spend. It's a reminder that understanding your audience is more important than ever and that's what CMV and Advanced Audiences are all about.
About Nielsen Consumer & Media View (CMV) Nielsen Consumer & Media View, with its extensive breadth and depth of data, lets you access consumer research that is vital to achieving strong business and marketing goals.
Nielsen Consumer & Media View is an essential tool for understanding the constantly evolving consumer landscape. With rich demographic and lifestyle data, and information on purchasing behaviours and intentions alongside extensive media habit reporting, Consumer & Media View helps you shape successful brand, advertising and marketing strategies.
Consumer & Media View provides an invaluable resource for identifying priority audiences to inform the planning, buying, or selling of advertising media, to inform business and consumer strategies, and to build a comprehensive market/category landscape view.
About Nielsen CMV Persona Packs: On-demand consumer profiling reports Harnessing Nielsen's advanced audience data capabilities via Consumer & Media View (CMV), Nielsen now provides comprehensive profiling and insights reports for any consumer segment you need to understand.
Nielsen Persona Packs are a faster way to solve your market challenges. Just define your target audience, and we will deliver an insight-laden report to your team with near-instant speed.
About Nielsen Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).
Press Contact Dan Chapman
dan.chapman@nielsen.com
+61 4040884
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
From bowser to basket, 9 in 10 Aussies are feeling the impact of rising prices
