The study, which polled over 1,000 Singaporeans aged between 15 and 54 on their opinions and product usage, found that 54 per cent of respondents believe the city state's economy will become better - compared to 52 per cent in 2002.
In addition, only 51 per cent find life's pressures a burden, compared to 61 per cent two years ago. MindShare Singapore managing director Manpreet Singh believes these results are a harbinger of better times for marketers.
"Eventually this will make a difference in terms of how (consumers) buy brands and react to communications," said Singh.
By analysing up to 37 above- and below-the-line contact points for seven key categories, 3D 2004 also allows Singapore's consumers to be segmented into more targeted clusters, rather than traditional demographic groups. "This identifies the most profitable consumers for the marketers," said Singh. "It looks at the mindscape of consumers, then looks at brand usage."
In addition, Singh pointed to the preponderance of below-the-line as a key finding.
"It has opened our eyes to the exposure of different contact points," he said.
The study found that the largest cluster among respondents is 'Homemakers', who account for 25 per cent. This group is slightly female skewed (57 per cent) and fairly conservative in terms of spending, with 86 per cent saying they would evaluate costs before buying or using a product.
The upside for brands is this cluster's loyalty; 72 per cent said they tend to stick with brands they like. In addition, Homemakers are active users of traditional media, with 72 per cent reading the Straits Times and 83 per cent watching TV daily, but remain internet-shy - only 47 per cent have used it in the past year.
On the flipside are 'Impressionables', of whom almost 80 per cent use ads as the main way to learn about products, far ahead of any other cluster. Impressionables are more male skewed and younger, and are, in Singh's words, "maximum brand switchers". Seventy-two per cent feel that it is worth switching to try something new, and 49 per cent are easily bored with using the same brand even if satisfied with performance.
Conservatives account for 17 per cent of respondents, and is the only group not skewed by gender. This cluster is the most affluent, with an average income of almost S$2,700 (US$1,585).
However this wealth may not be easy to tap; 94 per cent feel it is not important to keep up with the latest fashion, and traditional media usage is relatively low.
Less than 40 per cent stated that ads were the main way they learned about products, while just over 30 per cent - the lowest proportion among all clusters - cannot live without newspapers, preferring radio instead.