Kids in China 2007: Children Consumers & Lifestyle Trends
This report covers consumer behaviour amongst children (aged 0-14) in China, with regard to parental care and relationships, parental consumer influence, eating habits, media awareness, how they play, their living and learning environment.
Executive Summary
'...If it was hard for Generation X in the West to appreciate the full horrors suffered by the previous generation during a World War, it will perhaps be even harder for the new generation of Chinese to appreciate the shadows of pre-Deng Xiaoping China, and the “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”.
Many of China’s children are now born in a country that is radically different to the China of just 25 years ago. The economy has gone from bust to boom, the nation is now an outward-looking international heavy-weight rather than an hermit pariah, there are computers and mobile phones everywhere. The bicycle used to represent technology, there are now massive luxury shopping malls, the Chinese can world travel, put a man in space and host the Olympics. Chinese children must feel that the new century is all about them and their country.
There were, in 2006, about 312 million Chinese under the age of 15. But, while the rest of the population of China grew by about 7.5% since 2000, the 0-14 age group only grew by about 1%. China’s children are therefore entering an ageing population – a profound break with history, and in stark contrast with other, more youthful, developing Asian nations, such as India and Vietnam.
As China develops into one of the world’s largest economies, and its consumer market grows in world significance, so the Chinese consumer of tomorrow has become the focus of huge amounts of product and brand marketing expenditure. If the children of today can be made loyal to a brand now, what potential for sales in the future, in a country where the economy continues to grow at over 9% a year?
China’s children are bombarded with media messages from all angles, all the time – from billboards, posters, TV at home, TV in taxis, cinemas, magazines, food packaging, lunch boxes, clothing, text messages, websites, store shelves, radios, etc. All of this is having an effect, and some of it detrimental. Childhood obesity rates are soaring, and rates of depression and mental health problems are also increasing.
Yet, this new generation has a world view that their parents’ generation never dreamed of, has access to better healthcare, better education, more and better toys and electronic gadgets and not only a wider choice of careers to aspire to, but choice, full stop. Not only can they aspire to own a home and a car, many are likely to have these provided for them by their doting parents.
This is also the generation of the One Child Policy – the “little emperors”, doted upon by two parents and up to four grandparents, plus various aunts and uncles. Only children, in a society of only children, will learn to, and be expected to behave differently, more pressure to succeed will be placed upon them, and all of this is affecting how these children see themselves within their society, and how this affects their behaviour as people, and as consumers. ...'
INTRODUCTION
Report Coverage
Other Relevant Reports from Access Asia
Abbreviations Used
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1 NEW CENTURY, NEW COUNTRY, NEW GENERATION
1.1 Overview
1.2 Chinese Children: How Many Are There?
1.2.1 Chinese Children: How Many Are There?: Child Population By Age Group
1.2.2 Chinese Children: How Many Are There?: The One Child Policy
1.2.3 Chinese Children: How Many Are There?: The Changing Roles Of Children, Families & Society
2 THE PRE-SCHOOL YEARS (0-4)
2.1 Pre-school Population
2.1.1 Pre-school Child Population Trends
2.2 Baby Food Market
2.2.1 The Baby Food Market: The Total Market
2.2.2 The Baby Food Market: The Sectors
2.2.3 The Baby Food Market: The Issues
2.2.4 The Baby Food Market: The Future
2.3 Nappies & Creams
2.3.1 Nappies & Creams: The Nappies Market
2.3.2 Nappies & Creams: Infant Toiletries
2.4 Early Toys
2.5 Kindergartens
2.6 Working Mums
2.6.1 Working Mums: Childcare Provision
2.6.2 Working Mums: Number of Working Mothers
2.6.3 Working Mums: Maternity Leave
2.7 Sharing the Parental Responsibility
2.7.1 The Parents
2.7.2 The Ayi
2.8 The Key Points
3 SCHOOL STARTERS (5-9)
3.1 Primary School Begins
3.1.1 Primary School Begins: Population Trends
3.1.2 Primary School Begins: The Schools
The Law of Compulsory Education
Primary school
Homework
3.2 Starting to Read
3.3 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure
3.3.1 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure: Toy Brands - Barbie Wawa Vs Yue-Sai Wawa
3.3.2 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure: Cartoons - Hai’er Brothers
3.3.3 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure: Books - Cartoon Animation Tie-ins
3.3.4 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure: Films - Talking Vegetables and Cyberheroes
3.3.5 The Start of Media and Brand Exposure: Chinese Culture - Reinventing The Old
3.4 The Games Children Play
3.5 Fickle Feeders
3.5.1 Fickle Feeders: The Average Diet
3.5.2 Fickle Feeders: Breakfast Cereals
3.5.2 Fickle Feeders: Instant Noodles
3.5.3 Fickle Feeders: Soft Drinks
Fruit Juices & Nectars
Carbonated Soft Drinks
3.5.4 Fickle Feeders: Ice Cream
3.5.5 Fickle Feeders: Dairy Products
3.5.6 Fickle Feeders: Fruit & Vegetables
3.5.7 Fickle Feeders: Meat
3.5.8 Fickle Feeders: Candy
3.5.9 Fickle Feeders: Snacks
3.6 The Cram For Exams
3.6.1 The Cram For Exams: The Fear of Failure
3.6.2 The Cram For Exams: Dictation, Not Explanation
3.6.3 The Cram For Exams: Supplementing School
3.6.4 The Cram For Exams: A Lack of Creative Thinking
3.7 The Cost of Education
3.7.1 The Cost of Education: Institutional Funding
3.7.2 The Cost of Education: Family Funding
3.8 Fat Little Emperors
3.9 The Key Points
4 THE PRE-TEENS (10-14)
4.1 Choosing A Middle School
4.1.1 Choosing A Middle School: The Pressure Begins
4.1.2 Choosing A Middle School: Why The Pressure?
4.1.3 Choosing A Middle School: Easing the Pressure
4.1.4 Choosing A Middle School: Points Win Places
4.1.4 Choosing A Middle School: The Middle School Population
4.1.5 Choosing A Middle School: Middle School Stats
4.1.6 Choosing A Middle School: Secondary Education Funding
4.1.7 Choosing A Middle School: Middle School Texts
4.2 Pop, Pulp & Power Rangers (How the Media is Shaping Generation-Zhang)
4.2.1 Overview: Economic Class & Social Status
4.2.2 Mandopop: Saccharine Sweet Dreams
4.2.3 TV Song Contests: Teenage Dreams
4.2.4 A Feeling of Self Worth: Does Media Happiness Make For Happy Children?
4.2.5 The Alternative: Expressing China’s Rougher Edges
4.2.6 Manga: Fetish or Fashion
4.2.7 The Internet Generation: Blogocracy and the Shaping of Young Opinions
4.3 Getting A Fashion Sense
4.3.1 Kid’s Clothes: From Function to Fashion
4.3.2 Nagging For Nike: Sports Star And Peer Pressure
Overview
The Key Sports And Their Tie-ins
The Key Foreign Personalities
The Key Local Personalities
Wushu For The Olympics
New Sports
Sports Involvement With Kids
The Key Brands
4.4 Techno-savvy Children
4.4.1 Safe Surfers: China’s Net-nanny & Children’s Websites
How Many Minor Surfers?
4.4.2 Thumb Kungfu: Video Games & Virtual Lives
4.4.3 Text Me!: Kids With Phones
4.4.4 TV Nation: Sofa Surfers
4.5 Fast-food Fetish
4.5.1 The Rise of Fast Food and The Change in the Chinese Diet
How Big Is China’s Family-sized Bucket?
Kentucky Fried McZhang
Mr. Hot Pot
4.5.2 Scary Food
Food Poisoning: Bad Practice
Going Green
Genetically Modified (GM) Food
Vegetarianism
4.5.3 The Emperor’s New Body Shape
4.6 Sport & Leisure
4.6.1 Saturday Night At The Movies
4.6.2 Helter Skelter: The China Theme Park Experience
4.6.3 Hooray for the Holidays!
4.6.4 Life of Leisure: How China’s Children Kill Time
4.6.5 The Young Pioneers
4.6.6 From Toys to Gadgets
4.6.7 The Beijing Olympics Generation
4.7 Pocket Money
4.8 The Parent-child Relationship
4.8.1 The Family Relationship
4.8.2 Influence On The Adult World
4.8.3 The Parental Cost
4.10 Future Concerns
4.11 The Key Points
APPENDIX: MARKET BACKGROUND
A.1 Fast Facts
A.2 Regions of China
A.3 Demographics
A.3.1 Demographics: Total Population
A.3.2 Demographics: Population by Location
A.3.3 Demographics: Population Breakdown by Location
A.3.4 Demographics: Population by Province
A.3.5 Demographics: Population Density by Province
A.3.6 Demographics: Population Concentration
A.3.7 Demographics: Population by Gender
A.3.8 Demographics: Population by Age Group
A.4 Consumer Attitudes
A.4.1 Consumer Attitudes: Overview
A.4.2 Consumer Attitudes: Response to Political Change
A.4.2 Consumer Attitudes: Response to Economic Change
A.4.3 Consumer Attitudes: Changes in Lifestyle
Livelihood
Individual loans
Housing
Possessions
Travel
Entertainment
Health and Fitness
Purchasing Influences
Taboos
A.5 Consumer Wealth
A.5.1 Consumer Wealth: GDP and Cost of Living
Dealing with WTO
China’s New Middle Class
Confident Shoppers
A.5.2 Consumer Wealth: Provincial Differences in GDP
A.5.3 Consumer Wealth: GDP Growth by Province
A.5.4 Consumer Wealth: GDP Per Capita by Province
A.5.5 Consumer Wealth: Concentration of Wealth by Province
A.5.6 Consumer Wealth: The Major Cities
A.6 Households
A.6.1 Households: Overview of Household Conditions
A.6.2 Households: Total Households by Size
A.6.3 Households: Total households by Urban/Rural Split
A.6.4 Households: Income Earners Per Household
A.7 Employment
A.7.1 Employment: Number of Workers by Sector
A.7.2 Employment: Growth by Sector
A.7.3 Employment: Number of Workers by Gender
A.7.3 Employment: Number of Workers by Habitation
A.7.4 Employment: Urban Unemployment
A.8 Consumer Income
A.8.1 Consumer Income: Average Incomes by Sector
A.8.2 Consumer Income: Growth by Sector
A.8.3 Consumer Income: Average Incomes by Region
A.8.4 Consumer Income: Growth by Region
A.9 Consumer Market
A.9.1 Consumer Market: Spending Trends
A.9.2 Consumer Market: Per Capita Consumer Expenditure
A.9.3 Consumer Market: Retail Sales and Consumer Spending
A.9.4 Consumer Market: Urban Income and Spending Compared
A.10 Exchange Rates
A.10.1 Exchange Rates: China
A.10.2 Exchange Rates: Hong Kong