Entertaining and trusted, influencers – in all their diversity – are helping Australians define themselves, according to new research commissioned by socially-led creative agency We Are Social.

Examining why influencers have become so popular, the Under the Influence report canvassed the opinions of 1,024 Australians who followed influencers.

The report, which was compiled with qualitative research conducted by Forward Scout and quantitative research through Pure Profile, found that:

• 85 per cent of Australians surveyed described influencer content as entertaining.
• 77 per cent of respondents cited entertainment as the main reason they enjoy influencer content.
• 71 per cent of respondents liked seeing behind the scenes of an influencer’s life.
• 59 per cent of consumers don’t mind seeing products in an influencer’s feed.
• 67 per cent of participants said they do mind if influencers promote things they don’t use or don’t believe in.
• 63 per cent of those who follow an influencer do so because they’re a trusted source of information.
• 62 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the statement ‘influencers help me shape my identity’.

At a launch event for the report in Sydney last night, We Are Social managing director Suzie Shaw (pictured above) said the growth of influencers is accelerating.

“We undertook this research to get under the skin of influencers’ appeal to consumers, so we can advise our clients how to leverage them most effectively,” she said.

“With the rise of Influencers, we’ve seen an explosion in the number of people deriving a living from creative pursuits and the volume of inspirational content on offer to consumers.

“And with 49 per cent of Australians born overseas or having one or both parents born abroad, consumers are drawn to the more diverse line-up among influencers than they see in mainstream media.