Who Makes Up the Largest Group of CBD Consumers in the US?

  • Updated September 9, 2021

  • Published September 9, 2021

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Who Makes Up the Largest Group of CBD Consumers in the U.S.?

The new survey conducted by Brightfield Group shows that millennials and Gen Xers make up 71% of users consuming CBD products.

The cannabis analytics and market intelligence company, Brightfield Group, regularly conducts surveys of thousands of CBD users in the United States, ensuring the sample group meets the census population distribution based on gender, age and geography. The 2021 mid-year report revealed some interesting information about CBD consumers. It is millennials (born 1981-1994) and Gen Xers (born 1965-1980) who make up 71 percent of CBD users, with millennials consuming more CBD doses per day.

Generational Differences

It makes sense that younger adults are more accepting of CBD products compared to older generations. The Baby Boomers, or older generation (born 1946-1964), less accepting of CBD, are the majority of the 18 percent of people surveyed who said they do not use CBD products only because they do not know enough about them. Baby Boomers grew up during a time when cannabis and hemp products were illegal. Government and health officials frequently spoke of the negative properties of “using pot” and the dangers of “getting high.”

Today, there is a need for further education of the general populace as to the facts about CBD and CBD products. They need education on what CBD is and how it is sourced, its legality, how it is different from THC and the benefits it can deliver consumers. There is also a need for more education on the different types of CBD spectrums and products to reduce confusion during the purchasing process. The consumers that will not try CBD report they want to avoid using psychoactive products or decided CBD does not work. CBD does not produce psychoactive effects, and it is impossible to know if CBD can provide benefits without trying it.

Learning About CBD

According to the Brightfield Group report,

“Word of mouth is the most popular outlet for initial CBD awareness among both generations. Millennials are more likely to learn about CBD from social media, in-store browsing, or from a budtender. Gen Xers learn about CBD oil from more traditional sources like doctors, the news/TV, or print ads.”

A Pew Research Center survey found that 91 percent of U.S. adults believe marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medical use.

The pandemic has hit the CBD brick-and-mortar segment hard. With stores closing and people doing more shopping online, CBD industry growth slowed in 2020. More than 1,000 CBD brands went out of business or merged with other companies. The continued gray area in CBD laws and regulations is also slowing industry growth, keeping some people wary of using CBD and discouraging large packaged goods businesses from entering the market.

Sources

  1. https://www.brightfieldgroup.com/
  2. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/16/americans-overwhelmingly-say-marijuana-should-be-legal-for-recreational-or-medical-use/

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