Lifestyles and consumption habits of four generations of Hong Kong consumers revealed by Synovate
17 March 2010
HONG KONG — Baby boomers like their radio programmes, Generation X are the biggest spenders in Hong Kong, while the Post 80s and 90s generations want to be leaders of their packs, according to the latest Media Atlas survey released today by global market intelligence firm Synovate.
The fourth annual Synovate Media Atlas study captures a complete cross section of society, revealing the media consumption, attitudes and lifestyles of Hong Kong consumers. It covers over 6,000 Hong Kong respondents aged 12-64.
The Post 90s Generation: Let's be friends
Between the ages of 12 to 19, there are over 690,000 people in the Post 90s generation in Hong Kong.
"This group of young and aspiring stars shows some of the most interesting attitudes, and faces somewhat of a dilemma, compared to other age groups," comments Susanna Lam, Research Director of Synovate in Hong Kong.
Sixty-two percent of the Post 90s indicated they like to make friends and share experiences with them, the highest across the age groups.
The Post 90s group has higher uncertainty compared to their older counterparts: half of the Post 90s like to ask for opinions (compared to 46% of the Post 80s group), and they are the lowest group in believing they can reach their goals (40% compared to 45% of the Post 80s). They are risk averse and least willing to accept higher risk for a potentially higher return (16% of Post 90s are willing to take risk compared to 27% of the Post 80s).
"Though less self-assured, internal conflicts show through: it's the group with the strongest desire to be leaders - 29% of the Post 90s prefer to be a leader of a group than a follower," continues Lam.
Figure 1 shows the key findings on Post 90s' attitudes.
Figure 1 - Attitudes of Four Generation Groups in Hong Kong
Post 80s: A generation of multi-tasking web surfers
Hong Kong has about 990,000 people between the ages of 20 to 29. "This is currently the most discussed group in Hong Kong, known as the Post 80s," says Lam.
The Post 80s generation spends over three hours a day on the Internet, the most time spent online compared to other age groups. They are also the highest group saying they cannot live without the Internet, indicated by 48% of the Post 80s.
"Social media is the natural habitat for the Post 80s," comments Lam. "They are active participants of social media, being the top group in reading blogs (46%), commenting on them (33%), maintaining a profile on social networking sites (33%), and contributing to online forums or discussion groups (26%)."
Please see Figure 2 for further details.
Figure 2 - Social Media Habits of Four Generation Groups in Hong Kong
Post 80s are the heaviest multi-tasking group. While they browse online or watch television, they also engage in other activities simultaneously. For example, 32% do their homework while surfing the net, and 30% talk on the phone while watching television.
"This is a group with which marketers struggle to gain attention," says Lam.
Spending big by Generation X
With over 1.7 million people aged 30 to 44, Generation X represents the second largest demographic group in Hong Kong after the Baby Boomers.
Steve Garton, Executive Director of Media at Synovate comments: "In their prime working and earning years, along with the large size of this group, the spending power of Generation X is enormous. Generation X is the biggest spender on entertainment, dining out, and accessories such as watches; and second in spending on wear and accessories."
In a month, Generation X spent on average HKD$1,462 on entertainment, HKD$1,309 on dining out, and HKD$927 on wear and accessories. Average spending in the past year on watches was over HKD$3,900. Please see Figure 3 for a comparison of spending between the different age groups.
Figure 3 - Comparison of Spending between Four Generations
Baby Boomers keeping traditions alive
The Baby Boomer generation, encompassing those aged 46 to 64, represents over two million people in Hong Kong. Over half of them listen to the radio, the highest group of listeners compared to other age groups. Their other favourites are TV (89% watch it) and the daily newspaper (79%, the highest compared to other age groups).
Sixty-seven percent of baby boomers think the best entertainment source and leisure pastime is TV, versus 63% of the Post 90s saying the best source is the Internet.
Observes Garton: "Baby boomers not only keep media such as radio mainstream, they are also the top group agreeing that handsome men and beautiful women have an advantage in life; good luck is more important than hard work; and money is the most important measure of success." Please see Figure 4 for further details.
Figure 4 - Point of View towards Looks, Luck, and Dollar Signs
Contact(s) for this press release
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Jennifer Chhatlani
Global Marketing Director |
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222 South Riverside Plaza |
Tel: +1 312 526 4359 |
Synovate Media Atlas is a media consumption, lifestyle and attitudes study conducted in
Malaysia, Hong Kong, The Philippines and Thailand. The data for Media Atlas is collected
using a combination of face-to-face and telephone interviews to maximise reach and achieve
higher accuracy versus traditional methods.
For more information on Media Atlas click here.
About Synovate
Synovate generates insights to help clients drive competitive brand, product and customer experience strategies. Now part of Ipsos, with offices in over 80 countries, our approach combines best in class global research capabilities with personalised service, local knowledge and the flexibility to create teams and processes that meet clients' specific requirements. At Synovate, our clients sit at the top of our organisational chart, driving us to continually develop more innovative research solutions that predict actual business outcomes.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.