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Refuel Agency

Refuel Agency Isolates Afro-Latino Segment in 2026 Study

Refuel Agency Isolates Afro-Latino Segment in 2026 Study

Princeton, N.J. – September 24, 2026 -- Refuel Agency has introduced Afro-Latino consumers as a standalone research segment for the first time, finding this group leads all measured multicultural audiences in AI tool adoption at 31%, using platforms such as Gemini.

Afro-Latino consumers combine top AI adoption with strong home-centered habits

Despite ranking highest in AI tool usage, 58% of Afro-Latino respondents live in households with children and show a strong preference for entertaining and cooking at home, according to the 2026 Multicultural Explorer study. Refuel's analysts said this combination of digital-forward behavior and traditional household patterns made the segment impossible to keep classified under a broader "other" category.

Refuel Study: Young Adults, Not Teens, Now Drive Social Brand Discovery

Refuel Study: Young Adults, Not Teens, Now Drive Social Brand Discovery

Princeton, N.J. – September 24, 2026 -- Young adults aged 18-24 have overtaken teens as the primary drivers of brand discovery on TikTok and Instagram, according to Refuel Agency's newly redesigned 2026 Youth, College & Young Adult Explorer study of 1,545 respondents.

Social media engagement now peaks in young adulthood, not the teen years

Young adults lead brand discovery on TikTok at 30% versus 28% for teens, and on Instagram at 29% versus 23%. Adults log nearly double the weekly social media hours of teens -- 40 hours versus 24 -- with college students matching adults at 40 hours weekly. Liz Carmo, EVP Audience & Brand at Refuel Agency, said brand media plans still treating the teen years as the social-media high-water mark are reaching audiences at the wrong intensity.