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29 December 2006
Hong Kong
With less than three days to go before the end of the year, over half (56%) of the world’s online population has already decided on their New Year’s Resolutions for 2007. In Hong Kong, 84 percent of consumers will be making a new year’s resolution according to ACNielsen, the world’s leading market research and information company. Comparing with the global average of 56 percent, Hong Kong people seem to be more committed to a better 2007!
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Opinion Survey, the largest half-yearly survey of its kind, was conducted in late October/early November, surveying 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, the Baltics and Middle East. In Hong Kong 500 consumers were surveyed.
Leading the world in planning to turn over a new leaf are Vietnam where nine in 10 plan to make a new-year’s resolution, followed closely by Koreans (89%) and Thais (88%). Hong Kong ranks fifth with 84 percent of consumers making a new year’s resolution for 2007. At the other end of the scale, 60 percent of North Americans said they had no plans to make any resolutions for next year.
And most people who plan to make one, expect to keep it. 98 percent of Koreans who are making a new-year’s resolution also expect to stick to it, and 97 percent of people in Hong Kong and Taiwan share a similar resolve. (Chart 1)
“People in Asia Pacific surpass their global counterparts as the most likely to make a New Year’s Resolution and, surprisingly, it’s the Vietnamese consumers who lead the world, with nearly everyone planning one, and all of them optimistically expect to stick to it,” said Ms. Fanny Chan, Managing Director, ACNielsen Hong Kong.
Most popular New-Year’s Resolutions
Globally getting more exercise (62%) and seeking a healthier work/life balance (51%) top the new year’s resolutions list everywhere, and a third plans to go on a diet. (Table 2)
“People make New Year’s resolutions to make up for the things they should have done but didn’t in the past year,” Ms. Chan added. “Our survey findings where a strong connection between the top three most popular New Year’s resolutions among global consumers – ‘Exercise more, better work/life balance and go on a diet’ – are observed, reinforce a global health and wellness trend that is getting close to the heart of consumers around the world and set us on a path to a better and healthier 2007.”
While ‘exercise more’ and ‘better work/life balance’ took the top two places for people in all regions, the order of importance for the New Year resolutions varied. For Hong Kong achieving a healthier work-life balance is the most wanted resolve for over half of Hong Kong people, getting more exercise is the second most popular new year’s resolution (46%) and spending more time with family the third (38%).
“Hong Kong is renowned for being efficient and fast-paced, with the economic down turn a few years ago, people are not only working fast but harder leaving themselves little time for a quality life,” said Ms. Chan. “However with the increasing concern about health and the economy picking up, it’s time for people to seek out for a more balance work-life; responsible organizations and employers should also, if not already, start promoting and encouraging work-life balance among their employees for a healthier growth in productivity.”
As the Hong Kong job market continues to perform, about a quarter of Hong Kong people indicate to change job as their new year’s resolution in 2007, the second highest in Asia Pacific. A quarter is planning to ‘take up a new hobby’, mainly driven by women; and ‘avoid disastrous personal relationships’, mainly driven by men. A quarter of women will be going on a diet as their new year’s resolution, which is far more desperate than men (8%) in claiming so. (Table 3)
Asia Pacific markets took out the top positions globally for most New Year’s resolution. Vietnam topped the world with most people seeking a better work/life balance (84%), spending more time with family (54%), avoiding disastrous personal relationships (50%), and a change of job (28%); Thailand tops the world with most people planning to take up a new hobby (58%) and cut down on alcohol (18%) in the new year. Philippines has the most people in the world wanting to exercise more (77%) as their New Year resolution and in Malaysia, it’s going on a diet (52%).
While over half of the world’s consumers are planning to make changes to their lives in 2007, there are always exceptions, where people have not bought into the idea of a new year’s resolution – led by over 80 percent of Finns, Swedish, Hungarians and Danes. In fact, eight of the top 10 countries where people do not plan to make any resolution hail from Europe.
And in Asia, while more than a third of Japanese claim they plan to make a new-year resolution, 13 percent are quite clear that they won’t stick to it – Happy New Year!
Markets Covered
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czechs Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, United Kingdom, US and Vietnam.
About the Study
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey is the largest half-yearly survey of its kind aimed at gauging current confidence levels, spending habits/intentions and current major concerns of consumers across the globe. The ACNielsen Consumer Confidence Index is developed based on consumer’s confidence in the job market, status of their personal finance and their readiness to spend. The latest survey, conducted in late October/early November, polled about 25,408 internet users in 46 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, the Baltics and the Middle East.
About ACNielsen
ACNielsen, a VNU business, is the world’s leading marketing information provider. Offering services in more than 100 markets, the unit provides measurement and analysis of marketplace dynamics and consumer attitudes and behavior. 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. To learn more, visit www.acnielsen.com.
Chart 1
Table 2
|
Global |
HK |
AP |
EMEA |
North America |
Latin America |
| Exercise More |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Better Work/Life Balance |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
| Go on a diet |
3 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
| Spend more time with family |
4 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
| Take up a new hobby |
5 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
5 |
| Avoid disastrous personal relationships |
6 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
| Change jobs |
7 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
Table 3
| |
HK total |
Female |
Male |
Better Work/Life Balance |
50% |
48% |
52% |
Exercise More |
46% |
43% |
49% |
Spend more time with family |
38% |
37% |
38% |
Change jobs |
25% |
24% |
26% |
Take up a new hobby |
25% |
29% |
21% |
Avoid disastrous personal relationships |
24% |
21% |
26% |
Go on a diet |
16% |
24% |
8% |
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