Our Survey Process

Cotton Incorporated collaborates with Bellomy Research (Winston-Salem, North Carolina) to complete more 500 interviews per month with U.S. consumers between the ages of 13 and 70. Through December 2024, more than 157,000 interviews have been completed since the survey’s inception in 1994.

The Lifestyle Monitor™ data collection has been designed to provide an accurate snapshot of the U.S. population by collecting monthly data from a representatively balanced set of respondents. The respondent profile is distributed across six key demographic categories (age, region, ethnicity, marital status, income, and education). Additionally, the respondents are 60 percent female to better represent the textile shopper. The majority of respondents (63 percent) have a household income of less than $75,000 and nearly two-fifths (37 percent) have an income of $75,000 or more with a mean household income for all respondents of approximately $76,000.

Thirty-nine percent of the sample are college graduates. Fifty-one percent own a house or condo, 37 percent rent, 13 percent live with parents. Slightly over two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents are Caucasian, 23 percent are of Hispanic or Latino origin, 18 percent are African-American, 5 percent are Asian, and 4 percent are of other ethnic origins.

Global & Special Surveys

Cotton Incorporated also conducts a series of global and special studies and analyses annually focusing on timely topics of interest to consumers and the industry. The research studies assist the company in monitoring the changes in market perceptions about cotton and understanding where cotton fits into consumers’ lives. The company additionally examines the usage of cotton in the supply chain, providing expert economic research and analysis for global markets.

Each year, around 50,000 global shoppers are interviewed, varying in age depending on the survey topic. All people surveyed fall between the ages of 13-60, so survey results across several generations can be compared as part of the research. Cotton Incorporated conducts both qualitative and quantitative research to analyze shoppers’ habits and behaviors, how they use their purchased products, and how cotton fits into their lives.

Consumers from the following countries have been surveyed as part of the global consumer research:

Examples of recent special topics include: