As part of our on-going effort to conduct more public service related research for various none-for-profit organizations in China and aboard, we have recently launched a tracking study to learn more about what the 19 to 25 year olds in this country think about domestic and International issues.

From the research results we see that Chinese youth are thinking about interacting more with rest of the world and are extremely proud of what China has achieved and are not afraid to say so (which is not the case in the past when the country was more insular and less of a global player).

We see that over 60% of the respondents say that China should reach out to share ideas and also interact more with the rest of the world. And 25% think that China is leading the way in all areas of world development which shows that they have the great confidence in what China is tackling as a world leader.

Powered by China Polling Real Time Stats, January 2010

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Even as global search giant Google expands its businesses such as computer operating systems, Baidu the locally grown search company still dominates China’s online search market.   China Polling’s most recent Omnibus survey on search engine usage find that, of the 370 panelists, 68.9% preferred to use Baidu and only 24.9% for Google.

Early adoption seems to play the most important role for Baidu users as they continue to stay with the local Chinese favorite.  When asked for reasons why they use Baidu, “Becoming a habit” is mentioned the most followed by functionality and search results.

Furthermore, “More advanced Chinese search” was selected the most which highlights Baidu’s core brand equity as a predominantly Chinese language search engine. More »

In our last report on young Chinese consumers (published in October, 2008) we see that the youth in China definitely want to have more gadgets in their lives.  In this installment we’ll find out what are their favorite brands and some of their spending habits?  With our year-round tracking studies we are able to pin point the purchase and spending behaviors of these consuming “maniacs.”

Recent study shows that Apple, Adidas, Nike and Lining are still the top ranked brands that youth in China love the most.  We will need to take Apple out of the equation since one of the incentives of participating in our survey is an Apple product.  So the number one brand for youth in China is Adidas and closely followed by Nike, which is no surprising since these two sporting good giants are fighting it out from shopping malls to shopping malls across China. More »

While current economic conditions are deteriorating around the world, consumer confidence is at a new low and hitting its lowest point in recent years for the once mighty economies such as U.S., Europe and Japan. China is now being regarded as having the least affected economy compare to the rest of the world. What about China consumers’ confidence level? Will consumer behaviors and life styles change because of the world-wide economic downturn? Is China the exception in this global economic downturn? What are the important influencing factors for Chinese consumers now when making major purchases and investments? Since consumer confidence is one of the leading factors to any economic recovery it’s important that we understand if consumers are continuing to spend and consume in China. What sectors will fare the best in this climate of uncertainty? China Polling has launched a national tracking survey to help marketers to gain a closer look at the consumer behaviors under the current stresses.

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2009, is the year of 3G in China.  With the issuance of official 3G licenses, three local telecom giants China Mobile (TD-SCDMA), China Unicom (WCDMA) and China Telecom (CDMA2000) are all now geared up to roll out the massive development plan for local 3G services.  The growing demand for 3G phones and rising competition are all main drivers for a promising future for 3G phones manufacturers.  However, the stability of signals, costs of using 3G services and which new 3G handset to buy are just some of the key concerns voiced by consumers.  What are consumers’ perceptions toward 3G?  What are the key factors that will most likely influence their purchase decisions?  And, what are their level of interest in buying a 3G phone?  China Polling has launched a national survey to help us to understand all of the above questions and much more.

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China is currently the world’s fifth largest consumer goods market and some projections say that by the middle of the next decade China will become the world’s second largest consumer market, ranked after the United States. We don’t think this development path will change even with the current world-wide economic crisis. With a massive RMB Four Trillion Yuan economic stimulus package announced at the end of 2008 the Chinese government is working actively to ensure the country’s economic expansion. There is also a major push to increase domestic consumption within the next two years, there’s no doubt that the Chinese consumer goods market is set for sustained growth. Therefore, it’s vital for businesses to gain in-depth understanding of current and future consumer behavior. The need to identify demographic differentiations across this vast country has become a key challenge for FMCG companies operating in China. This FMCG Omnibus Survey provides insights to Chinese consumer behavior and market opportunities for FMCG companies who are looking to do business here in China.

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The current global financial crisis is obviously a major concern for consumers around globe. While consumer spending and confidence remains low around the world especially the US market how do Chinese consumers react and what are their expectations for the future? A recent national survey done by China Polling shows that despite the global slowdown, consumers feel more optimistic compare to rest of the world.

When asked whether consumers believe China will weather the economic situation better or worse than rest of the world, 70.2% believe that China will be better off, while only 8.4% believe China will be worse off. The remaining 23.6% think China will go through some tough time the same as other countries. But, Chinese consumers feel quite confident about its local market. As we take a closer look at some comparisons around the country, results show that consumers in Beijing have the highest confidence level at 73.7% who believes that China will be better off and Shanghai consumers have the lowest confidence level with only 56.3% believe, with 18.8% believe that China would be worse off. Guangzhou and Shenzhen consumers are also feel much less confident. More »

China has showcased an excellent Olympics in 2008, but with the conclusion of the games many have concerns about the post-Olympic effect to China’s capital especially to its economy? China Polling recently launched another online national survey to find out how Chinese consumers will react to the post-Olympic period? This is the second installment of our watch on the Olympics, so it follows some of the questions which we’ve asked in our previous survey. Has Olympics changed their daily life styles? Most importantly, has consumer confidence level drop after the massive Olympics related advertising campaign left town?

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Chinese consumers increasingly turn to online search for high quality and useful health information to support their health care decisions. Consumers use the information they have searched to improve their health.

China Polling’s recent study revealed that almost 90% of Internet users search for health care information online. The top-search and most cared about medical information are Diet, Nutrition, Vitamins or Nutritional Supplements, followed by Exercises or Fitness related information. It’s obvious that people prefer information to improve or maintain their current health conditions more than solving any ailment or treatment for medical problems.

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Global MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) business is moving and transferring to Asia and with an annual growth rate of 15 to 20%, China’s MICE economy is entering a period of rapid growth, this is according to the 2007-2008 MICE Economy Blue Paper released last year. Not only do foreign enterprise holding MICE here in China, the increasing rate of outflow business visitors or travelers to other countries have also provided tremendous opportunities for both local and international MICE industry players and the related business such as travel agencies. China Polling is now conducting a research to help MICE and travel companies/agencies to gain thorough understanding of the current market condition, who are their most active consumers and how often do they travel on business and personal trip (FIT – Free Independent Traveler), and what kind of service they are looking for?

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Unlike many western countries that are experiencing economic slowdown in recent years, China’s retail market continues to expand. Much of this continued growth is contributed to the Chinese youth between the ages 15 to 28.

As a result of the one-child policy, the so called “First Generation” has become the major spending group in China. It’s common here in China to see parents and grandparents saving and pampering the only child in the family (that’s four grandparents to one child). Thus, making the youth of the country the most influential consumers with strong spending powers. Some have declared that to win in the retail market in China, “is to capture the hearts, minds and wallets of youth”.

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Being one of the most affordable leisure activities in a country of 1.3 billion people, online gaming (no the wager type) is one of the most popular forms of entertainment for young people in China. Stats from (Data Center of the China Internet (DCCI), a 3rd party monitoring service under the Internet Society of China) estimated the number of China’s online gamers is expected to surpass 59 million in 2008, and among them, around 4 million young Chinese are addicted to the online games. What are the hottest online games here in China? How much do people spend playing online games monthly? How about the future trend of the online gaming industry? Our Online Gaming Omnibus will try and answer the above questions and provide you with an in-depth view of online gamers’ behavior and consumption preferences. The national research also focused on discovering various new trends in the local gaming industry.

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Understanding consumer preferences when it comes to buying a new mobile phones is definitely the million dollar (or billions of RMB) question for manufacturers here in China. Many have put lots of efforts into developing new designs and technology to meet the fast pace consumer demand for newer phones here. So coming up with the perfect phone is fierce competition here in China’s mobile phone market. In a recent national study conducted by ChinaPolling, consumers were asked questions regarding their purchase preferences for mobile phones including their purchase frequencies, types of mobile phone they want to purchase next and their budget. The stats show that the majority (36%) of the mobile phone owners would change their mobile phone within 1 year. When it comes to the actual time they would purchase their next phone, 36% of the consumers responded that they plan to purchase a new mobile phone within next 3 months.

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With 1 out of every 10 unlocked iPhones being used here in China, Apple’s “Wunderphone” inevitably become the hottest mobile device of last few months. Its revolutionary design is gaining tremendous popularity among the fashionable here in China.

China Polling has been fielding a Mobile Phone Omnibus survey for the last two months and is following the buying preferences of consumer for their next mobile phone purchases. Unsurprisingly, over 65% have heard of iPhone, and among this group, more than 85% are willing to actually buy an iPhone if it’s available here in China. Obviously, this number indicates a strong demand for the iPhone, but what are the “iPhonephiles” looking for when it comes to making a purchase decision? Findings show that Battery Life, Memory Size, Style/Design are the top features when picking aå phone for all consumers. The difference between iPhone lovers and the not yet converted is all about branding. The non iPhone lovers prefer Music and Camera features rather than being wooed and indoctrinated by the hip Apple brand equity.

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