We have published the first, comprehensive research into Britain’s attitudes on innovation and technological change. And we want to know: what type of innovator are you?

The Innovation Population research shows that while attitudes towards innovation are broadly favourable there are significant differences between the views of men and women and between more and less affluent people.

It identified a small group of Futurists (1 in 5 people) who liked change, new gadgets and products for their own sake and were more likely to be affluent.

It also highlighted a much larger group of Realists who saw the value in new ways of doing things but were concerned about the pace of change, issues like the speed of consumerism and tech making more and more people antisocial. This big group strongly supported innovation where it meets an important social need: better health, wellbeing or quality of life.

The research showed that 1 in 6 people, disproportionately women, younger and on lower incomes felt innovation offered them little but threats.

We identified five broad innovation personas:

Innovation Futurists

This group are engaged in the innovation debate and see the benefits of change in all aspects of life. They take a long view on their own lives and the wider world and tend to view controversial innovations such as nuclear or GM foods more favourably than others. Innovation Futurists make up 19% of the UK population, are typically male, and affluent.

Innovation Romantics

This group views new gadgets and technology as exciting and interesting but tend not to engage with innovation in the long term. They place great value on and tend to approve of most innovation they come into contact with or hear about. However, they aren’t long-term planners and aren’t concerned about the future. This group makes up 12% of the population, is typically older and less affluent.

Innovation Creatives

Innovation Creatives are typically younger than average, display high levels of creativity and have a social perspective on life. They are curious and interested in new ideas especially those that demonstrate creativity and solve practical problems, but don’t see innovation as a single concept. This group are the least cautious and often recommend new products to their peers. They make up 19% of the population and are broadly an equal male/female split.

Innovation Realists

This group appreciates innovation but aren’t excited about it per se placing greater importance on ethics and rights than new ideas. They see the need to keep pace with change and see value of inovation in areas like health, transport and education. Their most pressing concerns are about the impact of technology on society: privacy, desocialisation and the perception that lifestyles are becoming increasingly disposable. The biggest group, at 34% of the population, are more likely to be female, and typically affluent.

Innovation Sceptics

Innovation Sceptics are concerned about the pace of change in society. They are cautious and practical, placing low value on new ideas until they are confident they have a practical value. They often feel a sense of powerlessness and a feeling of being left behind, worrying about the impacts of change on job security and how society adapts to change overall. This group makes up 16% of the population, are typically female, young and less affluent.

Take the quiz now to find out what type of innovator you are