For a start, we can see that more people have felt very optimistic than not optimistic at all consistently throughout our surveys. Having said that, the gap between the two has not fluctuated much, and is the same in our latest survey as it was in our first (6%).

This is of course an overall picture. It shows that while national situations have changed, the spread of the virus from place to place means general levels of optimism have seen little movement.

Here’s a look at how optimism levels have changed by country, comparing data from our first survey to our most recent.

China has shown the most optimism in our surveys, with at least 31% of respondents saying they are very optimistic throughout. Plus, levels have remained steady. There has been a 1% drop from our first survey, with 33% now saying they’re very optimistic.

Australia, the UK, and the USA also saw drops since the first survey. The UK’s drop of 3% was the biggest fall we recorded. They are also right at the bottom of the table with just 14% of people feeling very optimistic in terms of the outbreak.

The remaining four countries (Italy, France, Spain, and Germany) all saw increases in people saying they were very optimistic. The largest increase was seen in Italy, where the number went up by 8%. With 27% of Italians now feeling very optimistic, the data shows how far the country has come since it was the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe back in March.

These are of course figures to view with some caution. Many are still worried about a second wave, while the economic effects of Covid-19 are likely to be felt for a long time yet. Only time will tell if people’s optimism, or lack thereof, is well-placed.

Cocktail hour at home

Bars may be closed, but that doesn’t mean people have given up on their favorite tipples. With lots of people organizing virtual drinks with friends and family, consumers are getting creative with their beverages.

With the working week coming to an end, today we’ve used our Consumer Research platform to look at a favorite Friday night pastime: cocktails.

When we explored English-language mentions of cocktails, we found that conversations had grown steadily during lockdown, averaging a 3% increase every week

People were using their extra time to perfect their favorite cocktail, or make something fresh and exciting. There were 103k mentions of cocktail recipes between March and May, a 71% increase in mentions compared to the three months prior.

The most popular cocktails in the conversation are:

• Gin-based (14k mentions)
• Long Island iced tea (12k mentions)
• Vodka-based (10k mentions)

We found similar figures using BuzzSumo’s new keyword feature. Articles published about cocktail recipes increased 38% in March, April, and May compared to the three months prior, while engagement was up 46%.

Mix-your-own kits weren’t as popular as making cocktails from scratch on social media, with only 67k mentions since March. 58k consumers talked about buying bottles of spirits, while 57k were looking for places to get fresh cocktail ingredients online.

Virtual classes and online cocktail or happy hours clocked up 202k mentions in March, April and May. However, mentions decreased in May by an average of 5% each week, hinting that we’re becoming more selective with the online events we participate in.

Social media has given people a great outlet to share and get inspiration for cocktail recipes. Here’s hoping new cocktail masters keep up the practice for when we’re allowed to party again.

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Thanks for reading

That’s it for today. Have a great weekend. Want these bulletins sent straight to you? Subscribe now.

Stay safe,

Brandwatch Response Team