Survey on Green Consumption Attitudes of China's Middle Class According to a survey on China's middle class by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, 71% respondents said that green consumption has increased in the past year due to concerns about health, improved purchasing convenience and increased market supply. , especially "green products that are safe for health." Respondents 73% agreed that they “tend to use products that are safe for health,” and 59% said that “there are more purchasing channels and it is more convenient,” which has prompted them to consume more green products than before. During the consumer symposium, we learned that although consumers had known the benefits of green food a few years ago, due to limited pipelines at that time, it was not easy to buy and the price was high, so it was only a rare item that everyone ate once in a while. However, in recent years, as fresh food consumption on the Internet has become more common, green food, especially organic fruits and vegetables and imported meat, have become more accessible. Since the website directly connects with local farmers, it is beneficial to lower prices, and there are often promotions to promote lower prices. In addition, the Internet platform is easy to use and makes shopping more convenient. During the symposium, some interviewees were accustomed to purchasing fresh food online, and some even ordered organic vegetables regularly. The survey shows that 71% respondents said that "green consumption has increased in the past year than before." A higher proportion of households with higher income said that they have increased green consumption. Perhaps due to the serious food safety problems that occurred in China many years ago, coupled with the increase in income, ordinary consumers have begun to pay great attention to the quality of life and safety in the past period. Therefore, the survey shows that although 41% respondents agreed that “I am more concerned about the quality of life than before. and safety", the number of respondents aged 36-50 is as high as 47%, but it is not the main reason for increasing green consumption. As we learned at the consumer forum, although consumers had known about the benefits of green food a few years ago, they did not often purchase it due to limited pipelines and high prices at that time. The survey shows that improved market supply is the main reason for increasing green consumption. 59% interviewees said that the increase in green consumption is due to "more supplies on the market, and green products are more common than before, whether they are food or supplies." In addition, 57% interviewees said that "there are more purchasing channels and it is more convenient. In addition to physical purchases, they can also order online to encourage them to increase green consumption. Among male respondents, 36% said that the narrowing price difference between green products and similar products is the reason for increasing green consumption, which is higher than 29% among female respondents, which means that the narrowing price difference between green products and similar products is more likely to induce male consumers to buy. Consumers' concern about protecting their own health can be felt during the focus groups. For example, almost all respondents in cities have air purifiers in their homes. Therefore, when asked about their attitude towards green consumption, 73% of the total respondents agreed that "I tend to use products that are safe for health, such as organic, no additives, etc., even if the price is more expensive than similar products", while the household income The proportion of agreement was significantly higher among higher respondents. Although concerns about the ecological environment as a motivation for green consumption are not as high as the recognition rate of protecting one's own health, some 59% respondents said they "tend to use eco-friendly products, such as environmentally friendly, regenerative products." Resource utilization, etc., even if the price is more expensive than similar products", and the proportion of respondents with higher household income is also higher. For different types of green products, more than 30% of the respondents said they were "very willing" to pay higher prices to purchase them. Among them, the "very willing" purchase rate of "children's food or supplies" and "organic food" both exceeded 50%. Since most parents have the mentality of "wanting the best for their children" and consider product safety, and 76% of the respondents in this survey are "married with children", they are "very willing" to pay more. The proportion of "children's food or supplies" purchased at high prices is also the highest. Female respondents are significantly "very willing" to pay higher prices than male respondents for three categories of green products, including "children's food or supplies", "organic food" and "organic skin care products/cosmetics". Analyzing from the perspective of family income, except for "children's food or supplies", in other product categories, respondents with higher family income have a higher rate of "very willing" to buy. Analyzed by age group, respondents aged 25-30 have a higher rate of "very willing" to pay higher prices for three categories of products, including "clothing products made of organic cotton" (33%), "organic skin care products" "products/cosmetics" (46%) and "green environmentally friendly products that are recycled and reused" (40%). The proportion of respondents aged 31-50 who are "very willing" to pay a higher price for these three types of products is only 27%, 39% and 32%. In addition to understanding the general consumption characteristics of China's middle class, this survey also explores the consumption characteristics or living habits of China's middle-class consumers from the perspective of the policy direction of promoting consumption in the "13th Five-Year Plan", including encouraging green, fashionable, New consumption such as quality, encouraging the development of customized services for personalized needs, expanding service consumption, and promoting the development of new consumption models such as online and offline integration. In addition, the consumer group targeted at the "post-80s" generation grew up in an era of substantial economic expansion in China and has a different background from the previous generation. Therefore, this survey is still stratified by age, trying to reflect the consumption characteristics of the "post-80s generation". Data source: HKTDC Economic and Trade Research (2017-08-16) Small and Medium Enterprises Division of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Open a new window) Plastics Industry Technology Development Center (Open a new window) Privacy Statement | Government Website Information Openness Announcement | Contact Us
