Four Key Demographic Cohorts Are Driving CBD Consumption
By Molly McCann, Ed.D., Director of Industry Analytics, New Frontier Data
CBD has been touted for a variety of wellness and therapeutic applications — whether from aches and pains, to relaxation, to treating acute medical conditions. Accordingly, consumers’ reasons vary for their use of it. In a survey of U.S. CBD users, New Frontier Data found that consumers differ profoundly about their primary motivations for using it. A new report provides analysis of four key demographic cohorts driving consumption, and summarizes key market differences defining use behaviors and preferences for each.
Medical Consumers
Though they account for but 9% of the total market share among CBD consumers overall, those driven by medical motivations consume the most frequently of the four groups, with nearly 2 in 5 (38%) using CBD at least daily, and 3 in 5 using it at least weekly. Nearly half (45%) name tincture as their preferred form, and they are the group most likely to prefer capsules (14%). Medical consumers vary widely in age, and more than a third (35%) purchase primarily from online sources.
Pain Management Consumers
Consumers who use CBD to manage pain are the largest group — representing 41% of CBD consumers. Pain consumers skew older than average — a majority (51%) are 55 years or older — and though they consume less frequently than do medical consumers, nearly half (44%) use it at least weekly.
Unwinding Consumers
One-third (33%) of consumers use CBD primarily for unwinding, an umbrella term encompassing anxiety reduction, stress relief, and relaxation. Just as the largest cohort (i.e., pain consumers) skews older, the unwinding consumer skews younger, with a majority (51%) of the group being under age 35. Unwinding consumers use CBD the least frequently of the four groups, with less than a third (31%) doing so at least weekly.
General Wellness Consumers
Those consumers in the fourth cohort use CBD for all other reasons encompassing pursuit of general wellness, e.g., increasing overall wellness, falling asleep or improving quality of sleep, improving mood or fitness training, and being more energized, among other reasons. General wellness consumers account for nearly 1 in 5 (18%) of CBD users, and vary widely in their ages.
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