All In 2025: The results are in

So, the results are in. And once again we’re lucky enough to have access to the largest industry survey completed in the UK.

The first thing I’d like to acknowledge is the incredible response the All In survey received yet again. Over 14,000 responses from across the advertising and marketing industry, spanning agencies, media owners, tech companies and brand marketing teams.

These responses equate to an investment of around £225,000 worth of industry time. Since the first Census in 2021, All In has engaged with more individuals than any other initiative in our industry. And it remains the largest survey of its kind completed by any industry in the UK.

I’d like to personally thank everyone who took the time to complete it and the hundreds of businesses who shared and promoted it to their workforce.

But let’s get into the data. Back in March, I shared my five key lookouts for the 2025 data. Let’s revisit them now to see how they turned out:

1. Will working-class people still be the most underrepresented group in the industry?

A resounding YES, I’m afraid.

Just 19% of the workforce are from a working-class background compared to 40% of the UK general population. That’s further away from the UK average than any other personal characteristic that All In tracks.

Perhaps most worrying is that this figure has remained stubbornly consistent since 2021. In fact, those aged over 45 are more likely to be from a working-class background (23%) than those aged under 34 (17%), suggesting that the socio-economic diversity of the industry is getting worse.

In addition, nearly one in five people (18%) in the industry attended a fee-paying school; significantly more than the 8% represented in the general UK population.

If we want our industry to reflect the consumers we want to attract, more must be done to access talent from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds.

2. Will discrimination continue to decrease?

No, though levels of discrimination haven’t gotten any worse either, remaining consistent with the levels recorded in 2023.

Black respondents remain more likely than any other minority group to have personally experienced discrimination at their current company – 16%. That was followed by 55–64-year-olds at 15% and Asians and Muslims at 12%.

Since 2021, levels of discrimination have fallen. Whilst that is undoubtedly good news, any level discrimination is too high, and we should question why we’ve not seen further reductions since 2023.

3. Is working in the office the new working from home?

Not quite, but people are certainly spending more time in the office.

On average, in 2023, All In respondents were working 2.2 days in the office and 2.6 days at home. That pattern has been reversed in 2025, with people spending 2.6 days in the office and 2.2 days at home.

However, the number of days that respondents would ideally like to spend in the office is 2.1 days. Marginally higher than the equivalent figure in 2023 of 1.9 days but still a long way from the three- and four-day models increasingly common across industry.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming Hybrid Working Report, which will delve into the detail around how hybrid practices have changed and the impact they’re having on individuals.

4. How is the industry feeling?

The same as always, at least when it comes to stress and anxiety.

Almost a third (31%) of respondents are affected by stress or anxiety. For 14%, that stress/anxiety is primarily work related. These figures have remained consistent with levels of stress reported in both 2021 and 2023 despite the changing times and differing work-based and external factors.

Work-related stress is notably higher than average for disabled and LGB+ colleagues, as well as those with caring responsibilities. This highlights the importance for companies to better understand the key stressors for people in these groups and the infrastructure required to better support them.

5. What’s new?

There were lots of new questions added to All In 2025.

For a start, a whopping 78% of us enjoy working in the advertising industry. So, most people are happy doing what they do. Which is nice! However, just 40% of respondents feel that advertising is a trustworthy industry and only 44% believe that it has a positive impact on society.

So, most people working in advertising don’t trust it and don’t think it has a positive impact on society but still enjoy working in it. Do those two things not matter to people in our industry or are they struggling to square what they do with their personal beliefs? Either view has serious implications for attracting and retaining the best talent to our industry.

We also asked whether people would recommend their company to a friend – 32% would and 25% actively wouldn’t, giving us a Net Promoter score of 6%. Anything above zero is OK but the average for professional services is 35%, 25% for tech businesses and 10% for creative and media. If any individual business received a score of 6% it would spark some serious conversations.

Interestingly, 43% of people responded passively. How can we nudge that huge percentage of passives to become promoters? Clearly more work is needed in this area to better understand the motivations and drivers of those working in our industry.

But let’s try and end on a high note. For the first time, we asked about AI. Generally, the industry response was very positive: 44% of respondents agree that AI has made them more effective in their job; 41% regularly use generative AI to complete tasks; and 63% were enthusiastic to use it more, highlighting the opportunity and need for businesses to support the use and development of AI amongst their employees.

Looking ahead

In summary, there are some positive findings to celebrate in 2025 but still much work to be done. Some people I’ve spoken to have been disheartened that we didn’t see more improvement in the results. But this is a long game. These trends and behaviours that we’re trying to change have built-up over decades. We shouldn’t expect to reverse them in just four years.

What is important is that we remain committed. Committed to All In and committed to creating an industry that is open to, and inclusive of, everyone!

As in previous years, these results will directly shape the evolving industry action plan and the change we want to see.

Please visit the All In Hub for the latest All In data and developments.