Aussie investor survey: early 2022 resultsAussie investor survey: early 2022 results

In summary, we found:

• despite ongoing volatility in the share market, our Aussie investors remain committed to their investing strategies and the long term

• "to be financially secure" was the most popular reason for investing; for the second survey running

• 42% of people feel empowered by investing 

• 78.5% are planning to invest up to $10k a year 

• money conversations between mates are happening as more people start investing.  

If not now, then when?

Aussie Sharesies investors are staying the course, despite the continued uncertainty with the pandemic and other world circumstances. In fact, 50% began investing during COVID-19, and 20% increased the amount they invested, despite volatility in the share market. 68.8% said they stick to their investment strategy during moments of share market highs and lows (of which there have been more lows) in recent months. With a focus on the future, 57.4% said their investment horizon (the length of time you leave your money invested) is long term, 10 years or more. 

Since starting on Sharesies, 64.2% said they feel more confident about investing, while 33.6% said their attitude to investing hadn't changed. Only 2% felt less confident. The most popular motivations for investing are:

• to be more financially secure

• the possibility of getting a higher rate of return than with savings.

All the feels

We asked how investing with Sharesies made them feel. They used words like excited (53%) and nervous and uncertain (30%). One person told us, "It's great to feel empowered by an app". Feeling empowered about money is super important—and 42% of our Aussie investors said they do. 30.9% said being an investor made them feel in control. 74.3% of people felt Sharesies was 'easy to navigate'. Investing shouldn't feel complicated, and making it easy to access and understand is important to us. 

Investing approach 

• How often do they invest? 65.5% keep it consistent, putting in smaller amounts regularly rather than lump-sum amounts less often

• What’s their risk appetite? Over the past 12 months, 25.4% said their appetite for risk has increased, compared with 8.9% who said theirs had decreased

• Do they care what they invest in? 37.8% said that investing in a company aligned with their values is very important. Only 3.1% said that it’s not important. 

Good news travels fast

While some are new to investing, over half (55.3%) have recommended Sharesies to a friend in the last four weeks. This tells us that the conversation around investing is happening around tables, on walks, and in group chats across Australia. 12.1% of our Aussie investors heard about Sharesies from a friend across the Tasman (where almost 1 in 10 Kiwis use Sharesies). 

Brendan, Sharesies Australia Country Manager, has this to say:

"Sharesies has a lot of love in New Zealand. Sharesies has established a loyal following and has a track record of delivering on a purpose to create financial empowerment for everyone. Sharesies is bringing the same opportunity to Australian investors. These regular surveys are one way we plan to make sure we stay close to that goal and to Sharesies investors here. We look forward to the next one and continuing to engage with and learn from our amazing local community." 

That's a wrap! 

We'll be back next time with another Aussie investor update. Until then, we'd love to hear if these results resonate with your approach to investing. Ping us on Facebook or Instagram, and look out for our next survey in your inbox if you'd like to take part. We'd love that.