NEW YORK — If you’re baffled by TikTok or unfamiliar with Taylor Swift’s latest music, don’t worry — you’re not alone. Although it’s pretty impossible to keep up with every single popular trend out there, a stunning number of Americans still feel “out of touch” with what’s cool today. Moreover, we’re not even talking about grandparents here — it turns out the average person starts to feel out of touch before they’re 40!
The survey from Talker Research examined how confident Americans feel when it comes to keeping up with pop culture and found that 49 percent feel they are out of touch with society today.
Obviously, the age at which the world of cool no longer speaks to us can vary from person to person, but respondents came to the consensus that you generally expect to feel out of touch by the age of 39 — which is when the 2,000 Americans polled say they really started feeling uncool.
The survey also asked respondents to rate themselves on how up-to-date they felt with the latest trends and what society deems cool in categories ranging from food and music to arts, technology, and the latest slang. When it comes to feeling in touch, Americans are most confident they know what’s cool when it comes to food (72%), while another 60 percent feel the same way about popular music.
Six in 10 Americans feel they’re still in the know when it comes to social media (58%), movies (55%), and staying informed on the latest tech on the market (49%).
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said when it comes to knowing modern slang — which ranked as the lowest “in touch category” among Americans. Simply put, most respondents have no idea what their kids are saying today, ya dig?
Surprisingly, our knowledge of celebrities was the second most common thing for people to lose track of. One in three respondents (35%) say they’ve lost a grip on who’s who in the world of the rich and famous.
Trying to show off your knowledge at a museum, impressing your local book club, or wowing people with your stylish wardrobe are distant dreams for a third of Americans, with the arts (34%), literature (32%), and fashion (32%) all ranking as areas we struggle to keep in touch with in 2024.
So, is there hope if you’re distinctly uncool or have completely lost touch with all things stylish and trendy? The good news is Americans do believe that good taste is something you can learn. Two-thirds (67%) felt that a person’s taste can improve, while 17 percent felt the opposite and that our tastes are much more inherent.
Survey methodology:
This random double-opt-in survey was conducted by market research company Talker Research, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). Data was collected from April 3 to April 8, 2024. The margin of error is +/- 2.2 points with 95% confidence.
