What types of social and culture trends affect REI? Solution 1. Social and cultural trends affect a community’s behavior and create greater demand for various types of products. For example, many communities are aware of stresses to the ecosystem caused by population demands, pollution and other factors. This awareness encourages many to engage in what has heretofore been considered only recreational activities such as walking and cycling. These are activities that are now being taken up as a means or relieving traffic problems or addressing air quality issues. This has increased the demand for high quality footwear or city-friendly bicycles. 2. Social and cultural trends also affect the average retirement age and how older persons are spending their retirement. Advances in medicine have greatly improved the quality of life for retirees. Also, social attitudes have changed as people accept that retirement is not simply the time when a person who has worked hard all their life now sits and waits to die. Retirees are more active than ever before, and they enjoy more disposable income as they have invested and saved toward retirement. This trend means that an heretofore untapped market catering to the older person or the retiree is opened up..