Background

MoneySuperMarket is one of the UK’s most trusted platforms for helping consumers make smarter financial decisions. As cost of living concerns rise and Gen Z faces unique economic challenges, MoneySuperMarket and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) partnered with Motives and media agency UM to produce the 2025 Money Talks report: seeking to better understand and bring attention to the financial pressures facing young adults today.

MoneySuperMarket were ****seeking to go beyond quantitive data and instead hear real voices, from real people, about what it’s actually like to manage money in today’s Britain.

Challenge

When scoping out the research, the team faced two  challenges:

  1. They needed to deeply understand how young people perceive and manage money today featuring the emotional, cultural, and systemic factors shaping their financial lives.
  2. They needed to move quickly - delivering meaningful insights within days, not weeks, to inform real-time strategy.

Motives offered a way to unlock depth of public opinion at speed.

Solution

With the help of Motives’ AI Researcher, UM transformed their brief into a fully-fledged study in minutes.

46 in-depth, AI-moderated interviews were launched across the UK with young adults aged 18–24. These participants were guided through 30-minute video conversations about their real-world experiences with money, including budgeting, borrowing, mental health, social comparison, and financial planning.

The project launched instantly, and insights began flowing in within hours. Within just a few days, the team had access to powerful quotes, emergent themes, and clear recommendations, all grounded in the authentic voices of their target audience.

Outcome

Thanks to the research conducted with Motives, MoneySuperMarket and UM uncovered a vivid picture of how financial pressure is shaping the lives of young British adults today.

Key findings included:

  • The cost of living crisis is reshaping daily life. Rent, food, and basic expenses are a source of constant stress, limiting young people’s ability to plan for the future.
  • The housing market feels completely out of reach. Many don’t believe home ownership is possible, especially in cities like London, and feel older generations don’t understand the gap between wages and housing costs.
  • The “Youth Tax” is real. Young adults struggle to build credit and access fair financial products simply because of their age and lack of history not behaviour.
  • Social media fuels financial pressure. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram amplify unrealistic expectations, yet also offer peer support and helpful advice.
  • Mental health impacts are significant. Financial stress is taking a toll keeping young people up at night, increasing anxiety, and eroding long-term wellbeing.

Impact

The research provided actionable direction on how to:

  • Develop financial products designed for Gen Z, with built-in guidance and transparency
  • Support mental health through empathetic communication and resources
  • Advocate for better financial education, especially around credit, debt, and budgeting
  • Create clearer, more inclusive messaging that reflects Gen Z’s real financial lives

By partnering with Motives, the Money Talks team accessed a deep, emotional understanding of their audience at an unprecedented speed.

Motives helped them validate assumptions, surface unmet needs, and shape strategy with confidence.

Read the full 2025 Money Talks report here.

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