How TIME and Statista Determined America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation

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TIME Staff. (2026, October 28). How TIME and Statista Determined America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation. TIME. https://time.com/article/2026/10/28/americas-best-brands-by-generation-methodology/

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TIME · collected 2026-10-28 · by TIME Staff

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Story summary

According to a recent survey by TIME and Statista, Gen Z is changing shopping habits significantly compared to previous generations like Baby Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials. The 10-minute online questionnaire surveyed more than 33,000 Americans, asking them to select up to three brands within categories they had purchased or researched in the past three years. Respondents then rated these brands based on customer service, user experience, quality, and their likelihood of recommending them to friends and family on a scale from 0 to 10.

While Baby Boomers tend to shop at specific stores like Brooks for running sneakers, Gen Z prefers a mix of high-end and budget stores such as Michael Kors, Coach, or Zara. This approach is described by Jeff Fromm, author of "Marketing to Gen Z and Millennials," as “the ultimate day-traders.” The survey results highlight significant differences in brand preferences across generations, with Gen Z showing a unique preference for diverse shopping experiences rather than sticking to one store or brand.

Written for “America's Best Brands By Generation” on 2026-10-28, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 America's Best Brands By Generation
Other · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 26% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation same event · 100%
TIME · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 11% hedged 3 of 28 📰 publisher trust 59
“Both articles describe the identical survey conducted by TIME and Statista, involving over 33,000 Americans across generations to determine 'America's Best Brands' based on user experience, customer service, reputation for quality, and likelihood of recommendation.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
26%
5 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
TIME's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Other
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-28 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

TIME · 742 article(s) · 2 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 2 correction(s)
2026-10-19
Santevia Refillable Metal Shower Filter
2026-09-17
Kerry James Marshall

Who wrote this

TIME Staff
14 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 In total, the survey took an average of 10 minutes to complete, and the field period ran from March to May 2026.
2026-10-28 · mixed framing · How TIME and Statista Determined America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation
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🔮 For the first time, in 2027, TIME will publish the Fastest Growing Companies U.S. ranking, in partnership with Statista, a leading international provider of market and consumer data and rankings.
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by TIME Staff
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 14 articles by TIME Staff →

Topics

America Americans Millennials U.S.

Subjects

America GPE · 1× Americans NORP · 1× Millennials ORG · 1× U.S. GPE · 1×

Narrative

The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about the brands or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to the brand's stores or websites.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-28
🔮 In total, the survey took an average of 10 minutes to complete, and the field period ran from March to May 2026.
2026-10-28 · TIME
How TIME and Statista Determined America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation · mixed framing

Claims (19 extracted, 5 hedged)

The ranking "America's Best Brands, According to Each Generation" is based on surveys of more than 33,000 Americans, featuring Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. uncertain
ranking → accord → Boomers
The analysis was primarily based on user experience, customer service, reputation for quality, and likelihood of recommendation. asserted
analysis → base → recommendation
The America’s Best Brands According to Each Generation 2026 rankings were identified from the results of an independent survey of participants who have either made purchases, used services, or looked for further information about a brand within the past three years either in person or online. uncertain
who → accord → person
Customers evaluated several brands: in total over 220,000 cross-demographic evaluations were collected. asserted
evaluations → evaluate → total
The survey was conducted on brands and service providers from 112 categories, providing results for a broad spectrum of customer experiences across demographic groups via a national online panel. asserted
survey → conduct → panel
For each category, the most relevant brands were included in the scope of the survey according to user experience, customer service, and reputation for quality. uncertain
brands → include → quality
Categories involving location-dependent services must be present in at least two census regions. asserted
Categories → involve → regions
In total, the survey took an average of 10 minutes to complete, and the field period ran from March to May 2026. uncertain
period → take → May
The final assessment and rankings were based on the Likelihood of Recommendation (50% of the final score) and three equally weighted evaluation criteria (also 50% of the final score): 1. asserted
assessment → base → score
User Experience: measures the end-to-end journey, including easy access, clear information, meaningful personalization and intuitive technology. asserted
Experience → measure → access
2. Customer Service: measures the speed of responses, the knowledge and relevance of the support provided, and the accessibility of priority options. asserted
Service → measure → options
3. Reputation for Quality: measures consistent and reliable performance that foster trust and safety, alongside transparent communication regarding return policies and warranties where applicable. asserted
that → measure → policies
The top 3 to 5 brands based on category size receiving the highest scores in each category and generation were awarded as America's Best Brands According to Each Generation 2026. uncertain
brands → base → Generation
Disclaimer: The rankings are comprised exclusively of brands that are eligible regarding the scope described in this document. asserted
that → comprise → document
A mention in the ranking is a positive recognition based on customers’ evaluations and the data sources available at the time. asserted
mention → base → time
Furthermore, events following August 31st, 2026, and/or pertaining to individual persons affiliated/associated to the brands were not included in the metrics. asserted
events → follow → metrics
As such, the results of this ranking should not be used as the sole source of information for future deliberations. asserted
results → use → deliberations
The information provided in this ranking should be considered in conjunction with other available information about the brands or, if possible, accompanied by a visit to the brand's stores or websites. asserted
information → provide → stores
The quality of brands that are not included in the rankings is not disputed. asserted
that → include → rankings
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