Consumption Survey
Chinese consumers are becoming more confident and savvy regarding their choice of brands and products, according to a report released by global management consulting firm McKinsey and Company.
The report was based on a survey of 10,000 consumers aged from 18 to 65 across 44 cities and seven rural villages and towns in the country.
Around 80 percent of the respondents were confident that their household incomes will increase markedly in the coming five years.
The post-90s generation is emerging as the next engine of consumption in China, according to the report, and this consumer cohort will account for more than 20 percent of total consumption growth, higher than any other demographic group.
The report also noted that the post-90s showed better confidence in China’s macroeconomy and tended to have strong awareness and preferences about brands. during a survey expedition along the Yangtze River, a significant increase from the previous research in 2012.
Acoustic equipment identified 102 finless porpoises during the expedition.
“There is a notable increase in the population size of the finless porpoise based on our observation,” said Hao Yujiang, head of the research expedition.
On November 10, a scientific expedition to the Yangtze to study wild finless porpoises and their habits was launched.
The 40-day expedition, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, will be conducted in the main stream of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze spanning from Yichang to Shanghai, as well as the river’s largest tributaries and the lakes of Dongting and Poyang.
“Results of the expeditions, including the population of the finless porpoise, are to be made available after sufficient analysis,” Hao said.
A separate expedition in 2012 found the population of finless porpoises had shrunk to about 1,040, about 14 percent less than six years previously.
Scientists say insufficient food, illegal fishing tools, water pollution and habitat destruction are the major reasons for the decline. increase from 2015, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on November 27.
By the end of 2016, China had nearly 1,400 centers and museums of science and technology nationwide that specialize in popularizing science, a year-on-year growth of 10.7 percent, according to the ministry.
About 223,500 people worked full time in this sector in 2016, up 2,000 over the previous year, the ministry said.
On average, one popular sci- ence facility served about 1 million people in 2016, which was a notable increase from that in 2015, said Qiu Chengli, an official with the ministry.
China will build more science and technology centers and museums in underdeveloped western areas and ethnic minority areas for balanced development, Qiu said.
Scientific research institutes and universities also contributed by holding around 8,080 popular science events by the end of 2016, 839 more than the previous year, which attracted over 8.6 million visits.