Three in Ten Americans Say That They Currently Own Direct Shares of Companies

New York, NY - Nearly three in ten Americans (28%) say that they currently own stocks, defined here not as shares in mutual funds but direct shares of companies, according to a new survey of over 2,000 US adults conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Fletcher Group, LLC.

• Men (37%), older adults (31%, 55+), those with a household income of more than $50,000 annually (39%), who have children living at home (39%), a college degree (41%), or are married (34%) are among those most likely to say that they currently own stocks.
• In contrast, women (20%), younger adults (25%, 35-54), those earning less than $50,000 (12%), who do not have children living at home (24%), do not have a college degree (18%), and those who are not married (20%), tend to be less likely to have this kind of investment.

Among those who say that they do not currently own stocks, most say that this is because they don't currently hold any investments (39%). However, three in ten (28%) admit that they do not currently own stocks because they don't know how to go about buying them, while roughly a quarter (26%) are concerned with the risk return - including 19% who believe that the stock market is too volatile, and one in ten who find the returns on other investment options more attractive (8%). The cost of stocks is mentioned by one in five (18%), including roughly one in ten who say more specifically that they don't currently own stocks because stock accounts and traders are too expensive (13%) or because all the best stocks are too expensive to purchase, even when looking to buy just one share (10%). Only one in twenty (5%) mention not owning stocks because it is too difficult to open a brokerage account, while 16% mention some other reason for not having any direct shares of companies.

• Women (34%) are significantly more likely than men (21%) to say that they don't own stocks because they don't know how to go about buying them. Those under the age of 35 (45%), and to a lesser extent those between the ages of 35-54 (26%), follow a similar pattern here.
• Those over the age of 55 (35%), those earning more than $50,000 annually (32%), who have a college degree (34%), and who are married (31%), in their turn, are among those most likely to mention something about the risk of the return - whether the volatile market or the greater appeal of other investment returns - when thinking about reasons why they do not currently own stocks.

Interest in Different Stock Options

Three in ten (30%) say that they would be interested in the option to purchase a piece of their favorite stock (i.e. $25 worth of Apple shares) - as opposed to being forced to buy an entire share which can be more costly. Those who already own stocks (54%), men (38%), younger respondents (43%, 35 and under), those who are earning over $50,000 annually (34%), have children living at home (49%), or have a college degrees (37%) stand out as being among those most likely to be interested in the option to purchase a piece of their favorite stock.

Interest is even higher - at 38% - in purchasing stocks if it were as easy as buying a card in a grocery store or other retailer that you could then go online and redeem for shares or parts of shares of any company - including one in five (17%) who say that they are extremely interested.

• Again, those who already own stocks (55%), along with men (43%), those under 35 years of age (54%), who are earning over $50,000 annually (41%), have children living at home (56%), or have a college degree (44%) are among those most likely to say that they would be interested in purchasing stocks if it were as easy as buying a card you could then activate online, and redeem for shares (or parts of shares) of any company.

Three in ten Americans (31%) also say that they would be interested in giving someone a gift card in the amount of $15, $25 or $100 that they could use to buy shares or parts of shares of big companies like Google, Apple or Microsoft - and a similar proportion (30%) would acutally consider giving someone a gift card in the amount of $15, $25 or $100 that they can use to buy shares or parts of shares instead of a traditional gift card to a store.

• Similar demographic groups - including those who already own stocks, men, younger respondents, the more affluent, the more educated, and those with children living at home - show elevated interest in giving someone a gift card that could be used to buy shares or parts of shares of big companies; while respondents from these groups are also significantly more likely to actually consider giving someone such a gift card instead of a traditional gift card to a store.

These are findings from an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Fletcher Group LLC, fielded September 17th - 21st, 2015. For the survey, a sample of 2,013 U.S. adults over the age of 18 was interviewed online. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll has a credibility interval of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points for all respondents.

The data were weighted to the U.S. current population data by gender, age, region and household income based on Census data. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error. Where figures do not sum to 100, this is due to the effects of rounding.

For more information on this news release please contact:

Chris Jackson Vice President Ipsos Public Affairs 202.420.2011 [email protected]

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