Survey: Affuent and educated embracing coupons

Mountain View, Calif. Wealthier, more educated and metropolitan Americans are some of the most likely to be coupon users, according to a new survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Coupons.com, the largest provider of digital coupons.

“The advent of digital savings tools coupled with a challenging economy has taken couponing mainstream. All sorts of people -- including what we call the ‘sophisticated couponer’ -- are proudly aboard the couponing bandwagon.” said Steven Boal, CEO of Coupons.com. “We all want the biggest bang for our buck, so the fact that well-heeled, educated and urban shoppers are taking advantage of coupons and searching for them online further illustrates the proliferation of the culture of couponing.”

Six out of 10 adults (61%) with a household income of $100,000 or more have redeemed a coupon in the past six months. Additionally, about four in 10 adults (39%) in this income bracket have redeemed coupons printed from an online source in the past six months, making them nearly twice as likely to do so as adults with a household income less than $35,000 (21%).

Adults with college degrees are almost twice as likely to have used coupons in the past six months as those who didn’t graduate from high school, further dispelling the perceived low-brow stigma of couponing. In fact, the survey shows that this group of grads is also more likely to make a purchase specifically to redeem a coupon, visit a product’s Web site to get a coupon and search for coupons online.

More than three in four adults (77%) who have used coupons in the past six months live in metro areas.

The survey also revealed that just like their female counterparts, men are embracing coupons to rake in the savings. Specifically, about one in two adult males (51%) have used a coupon in the past six months

Even if economic conditions improve, eight out of 10 U.S. adults plan to continue to engage in couponing activities, according to the survey findings.