|
November 2006
Global
The world’s Internet consumers are happy to turn back the hands of time, with 60 percent agreeing that your 40s are the new 30s, and over half who consider your 30s the new 20s, and 60s the new middle age, according to a survey by ACNielsen, the world’s leading market research company.
In the largest Internet survey of its kind conducted in 41 markets globally, ACNielsen asked consumers about their attitudes towards age, living in the parental home into your late 20s, and cosmetic surgery.
In general, women are quicker to embrace the idea of ‘turning back the clock’ than their male counterparts. Globally, 65 percent of women agreed that your 30s are the new 20s, compared to 59 percent of men; 72 percent of women thought 40s the new 30s, compared to 68 percent of men; and 86 percent of women thought 60s the new middle age, versus 73 percent of men.
Across age groups, opinions were stronger based on the respondents’ current or most recent experience of the age group in question. People in their 20s and 30s were most in agreement that 30s are the new 20s. 59 percent of 25 – 34 year olds and 56 percent of 35 – 44 year olds agreed that your 30s are the new 20s, compared to 49 percent of 15 – 24 year olds.
Similarly, 70 percent of 35 – 44 year olds agreed that 40s were the new 30s! And 70 percent of those 45+ agreed that your 60s are the new middle age!
The rush to ‘turn back the clock’ is most keenly felt by consumers across Europe and Asia Pacific. Of the top 10 markets that agreed your 40s were the new 30s, five hailed from Europe and four were from Asia Pacific, and of the top 10 agreeing your 30s were the new 20s, six were from Asia Pacific, and three from Europe. Similarly, of the top 10 agreeing your 60s were the new middle age, five were from Europe and four from Asia Pacific. The only other markets making it into these Top 10 rankings were South Africa and the US.
“We are living much longer than previous generations, significantly increasing the number of years we are old relative to the years we are young. Or it may just be that we are - at least in our minds if not our bodies - staying young for longer. It could be argued that we are taking longer to ‘grow up’, staying on longer in further education, and often remaining in the parental home into our mid twenties,” said David McCallum, Managing Director (Global), ACNielsen Consumer Research.
“The goalposts have moved. Our perspective on what constitutes a ‘young adult’, ‘old’ or ‘middle-aged’ and the lifestyle and behavior appropriate to each of these phases in our lives has changed accordingly. Stereotypes are being broken, requiring manufacturers to find new ways to communicate, and connect with, their target consumers.”
When it comes to remaining in the parental home until your late 20s, opinion was divided. Just over half of respondents (53%) agreed that it was perfectly ok, led by 61 percent of consumers in Asia Pacific, where the extended family is still very much part of the cultural landscape. Of the top 10 markets agreeing that it was perfectly ok to remain in the parental home, nine hailed from Asia Pacific, led by Singapore (88%), Indonesia (83%) and Taiwan (79%). At the other end of the spectrum, of the 10 markets most in disagreement that it was ok to stay home until your late twenties, eight were European, lead by Norwegians (83%), Russians, French (79%) and Swiss (77%).
By gender, women are more likely than men to find it acceptable - in Europe as well as in Asia Pacific.
“In Asia, it is culturally more acceptable for children to remain in the family home into their twenties, while in Europe there is greater expectation that children will leave for university or secondary education, and not return”.
And while people these days are happy to turn back the clock in terms of their attitude to their age, are they as likely to ‘enhance their appearance’ to look 10 years younger? Overwhelmingly NOT! 80 percent of respondents said they would not consider cosmetic surgery when they’re older, led by 86 percent of people in Asia Pacific.
Among the top 10 markets most likely to consider cosmetic surgery, Russia ranked number one, with just under half saying they would, followed by Greeks and people in the Baltics. All of the top 10 markets who would consider surgery hailed from Europe. Interestingly, by gender, Europe was the only region where men were more likely to consider surgery (17%) compared to women (14%).
At the other end of the scale, 94 percent of people in Hong Kong would not consider surgery, followed by Indonesians (92%), Malaysians and Japanese (91%).
The ACNielsen Online Consumer Confidence and Opinion Survey is the largest half-yearly survey of its kind aiming 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 May/early June, polled about 22,780 internet users in 41 markets from Europe, Asia Pacific, North America to the Baltics.
Markets Covered:
Australia (Aus), Austria (AT), Belgium (Bel), Canada (Can), China (Cn), Denmark (Den), Finland (Fin), France (Fra), Germany (Ger), Greece (Gre), Hong Kong (HK), India (Ind), Indonesia (Indo), Ireland (Ire), Italy (Ita), Japan (Jpn), Korea (Kor), Malaysia (Mal), Netherlands (NL), New Zealand (NZ), Norway (Nor), Philippines (PH), Poland (Pol), Portugal (Por), Russia (Rus), Singapore (SG), South Africa (SA), Spain (Spa), Sweden (Swe), Switzerland (Swi), Taiwan (TW), Thailand (TH), Turkey (TR), United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Czech Republic (Cze), Hungary (Hun), Vietnam (Vnm) and the Baltics (Bal) which covers Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
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 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.
Back to Top
|
