The ABC1 population has been increasing steadily since 1998, when just under half of all adults were in this group; by 2005, more than 54% were classified as ABC1s, with more than one in four being in the highest AB group.

Although consumer demand for value, and for lower prices, has led to widespread availability of cheap food, there has been an increasing uneasiness about this in some quarters, with concerns being expressed on both health and ethical grounds. The movement against cheap food has been led by consumers in the ABC1 group, who are becoming less price-conscious in their approach to the food they buy and eat.

Research for Key Note shows that more than half of all ABs and 44% of C1s, compared with fewer than four in ten of all consumers, would pay a premium for healthy food.

Almost seven in ten ABC1s are frequent purchasers of food from supermarket luxury ranges — but ABC1 consumers are not averse to economising on food, with more than half saying they often buy from supermarkets' own-label economy ranges.

With 84% of ABC1s being either outright homeowners or in the process of buying their homes, this group of consumers is clearly crucial to the market for all home-related products, including furnishings, homewares and furniture. Key Note's research shows that more than six in ten of all in this group enjoy improving their homes, and do most of the decorating themselves, while just one in four usually employ a professional to do so.

The past 2 years have seen a certain amount of negative publicity for some designer brands, which have become associated with `chav culture' and, as such, have become devalued to an extent in the eyes of their more upmarket consumers. Despite this, demand for designer clothing continues to be high, and companies are constantly having to face the challenges of trying to broaden their appeal without cheapening their image.

The ideal holiday destination for the vast majority of ABC1 consumers is somewhere that has not been tainted by too much tourism. Seven in ten would try to avoid very commercialised areas, and nearly a third agree that the availability of cheap travel means that there are now very few holiday destinations left that they would consider to be really `special'.