Millennials get blamed for killing a lot of things — including shopping malls, with their reliance on out-of-fashion department stores. But an Axios/SurveyMonkey poll shows that Millennials and their yet-unnamed successor generation may not be to blame after all.
The bottom line: When you spot a group of teenagers using an abandoned mall for indoor skateboarding rather than shopping, try to remember — this really isn't their fault.
By the numbers:
- The youngest age group, born anywhere from 1995-2001, are most likely to regularly shop in malls, followed by core Millennials — ages 25-34.
- The physical act of shopping is still popular with the general population — 63% said they prefer to shop in stores.
- Even so, people shop online more frequently than they do at shopping malls specifically, regardless of age or income.
- Income is a more important factor than age when it comes to whether or not people prefer to shop online, with higher income consumers of all ages more likely to prefer online shopping.
Methodology: This SurveyMonkey online poll was conducted Jan. 9-10 among a national sample of 2,629 adults. Respondents for this survey were selected from the more than 2 million people who take surveys on the SurveyMonkey platform each day. Data were weighted for age, race, sex, education, and geography using the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey to reflect the demographic composition of the United States.