Since the onset of the recession, it has been a case of “all changed, changed utterly” for Irish consumers. In response to a profound change in their circumstances, consumers have made some changes to their lifestyles. These changes have affected not only their spending behaviour, but also their attitudes towards spending, assessment of value, adjustment to their newly-austere circumstances, trust in companies, brands and institutions, and capacity to take pride in prudence and responsibility.

Forming the basis of this report, Mintel has identified five key trends that have emerged from the wreckage of the economic downturn that has blighted the economic and social fabric of Ireland.

These trends are: Resilience (the capacity to adjust to change, and the social and behavioural shifts resulting from the recession), Reviewing and Re-Evaluating (how consumers have had to reassess their notion of what represents good value for money), Escapism (the need to – occasionally – escape the tyranny of penny-pinching), Accountability (the refusal to accept things at face value), and Stability (the new-found sense of responsibility and prudence).