Sleepless in Asia: 40% of Asia Pacific Consumers Aren't in Bed Until After Midnight

2 March 2005
Hong Kong

An average of 37% of consumers the world over aren't usually tucked up in bed until after midnight, but 40% of people in Asia Pacific are burning the midnight oil compared to 34% of Americans and 32% of Europeans, according to a global study of sleep habits recently released by ACNielsen, a leading provider of consumer and marketplace information.

The latest ACNielsen Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey was conducted in October over the Internet in 28 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe and the US interviewing more than 14,100 consumers over the Internet.

According to the global survey, the biggest night-owls the world over are the Portuguese, with 75% not 'hitting the sack' until after midnight - with as many as 28% not retiring until after 1am. The second ranked global night-owls are the Taiwanese, with 69% going to bed after midnight, with as many as 35% not retiring until after 1am! Following closely behind are the Koreans (68%) and Hong Kongers (66%). Indeed, Hong Kongers ranked second after Taiwan for staying up latest of all, with 31% claiming not to go to bed until after 1am!

Of the top 10 globally ranked night-owl nations, seven are Asian, with the other three being Mediterranean countries more typically known for late nights and mid day siestas: Portugal, Spain and Italy.

Table 1: Top 10 Night Owl Nations - in bed after midnight

"There is evidence all around us that people are pushing back their bed-times, with the increasing number of round-the-clock services available for consumers, the growing importance of 24/7 convenience stores, and of course the world of the Internet, which never sleeps," said Mr Lennart Bengtsson, Chief Marketing Officer, ACNielsen Asia Pacific. "The ACNielsen findings also revealed that around the world the 'twenty-somethings' tend to be the night-owls, while in Asia Pacific, those in their 30s are more likely to stay up until after midnight compared to Americans and Europeans of the same age."

The earliest to bed in Asia Pacific are the Australians, with 24% in bed by 10pm, followed by 19% of Kiwis.

At the other end of the scale, 60% of Asia Pacific and American consumers are out of bed by 7am, compared to 50% of Europeans. Leading the rankings globally are the Indonesians, with 91% out of bed by 7am, followed by 88% of Vietnamese. Of those, 72% of Indonesians and 55% of Vietnamese are out of bed by 6am! In the global rankings, five of the top 10 early rising nations were from Asia, the other five from Europe.

Table 2: Top 10 Early Birds - out of bed by 7am

As you might expect, and based on their nocturnal habits, the Taiwanese are the last out of bed in the morning, with 26% not getting up until after 9am. Similarly, 13% of Hong Kongers aren’t out of bed until after 9am either!

And the region’s biggest sleep-catchers? It’s the Kiwis and the Aussies, with 31% of Aussies and 28% of Kiwis getting more than nine hours sleep on average. And with all their early rising, 12% of Indonesians get an average of only five hours sleep, with 38% getting six hours or less. The most sleep deprived is the Japanese, with 41% getting six hours or less.

"Society is adapting to a longer "waking" day as people juggle their time between work and family," Bengtsson continued. "The luxury of a solid eight-hour sleep or an early night are long gone as people have gradually become accustomed to sleeping less and their body clocks have adjusted accordingly."

Globally, both "Work Hours" and "Habit" were considered by nearly half of the respondents as major factors dictating their sleep schedule. 54% of Europeans claimed "Work hours" more than "Habit" (41%) determined their sleep schedule, and particularly so the younger the respondents. Both Americans and Asians rated "Habit" as the biggest driver of sleep hours while "Work Hours" influenced the sleep schedule of those aged 20 - 40 in Asia Pacific.

It’s worth noting that a third of Americans were influenced by their "Family/Children" in their sleep schedule, double that of Europeans (17%) and Asians (16%).

Remarks: (1)Survey in Vietnam was conducted Face to Face (2) 28 countries surveyed include Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, US, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and UK.

About ACNielsen

ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world's leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 countries, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behaviour. Clients rely on ACNielsen's market research, proprietary products, analytical tools and professional service to understand competitive performance, to uncover new opportunities and to raise the profitability of their marketing and sales campaigns.

ACNielsen is part of the VNU Marketing Information group. VNU is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognised brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media measurement and information (Nielsen Media Research) and business information (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Computing, Intermediair). VNU is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands and New York, USA. The company employs 38,000 people. Total revenues amounted to EUR 3.8 billion in 2004. VNU is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam (ASE: VNU) stock exchange. For more information, please visit the VNU website at www.vnu.com.