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30 November 2006
India
As populations in the 21st century continue to advance, 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 and cosmetic surgery, as they get older.
In general, over half of those surveyed embrace the idea of ‘turning back the clock’. In general women are more open to the idea of turning back the clock than men e.g 57 percent of women as against 51 percent men agreed that your 30s are the new 20s,; 64 percent of women as against 58% men thought 40s the new 30s, and 60 percent of women as against 52% men thought 60s the new middle age,.
As per Indians are concerned, they are also not different in voicing their approval for ‘turning the clock back’. About 70 percent of both Indian men and women agree that, 30s is the new 20s and 40s are the new 30s. However, when it comes to terming 60 as the new middle age substantially more women (64 percent) than men (47%) agree.
.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 that 40s were the new 30s, Austria was highest and from Asia Pacific countries like Japan, Korea, and India were among the top ten. Of the top 10 agreeing that 30s were the new 20s, six were from Asia Pacific (Korea (73%), Japan 72%, and India (69%)). Similarly, of the top 10 agreeing that 60s were the new middle age, four countries were from Asia Pacific. Japan, Korea, India lead the region with most people agreeing to these statements. (Table 1-3).
“We are living longer than previous generations, significantly increasing the number of years we are old, relative to the years we are young. When we look around we see a lot of examples of people doing extremely well when they are in their 50s-60s. Amitabh Bacchan in his 60s is more sought after actor in Indian than any younger actor, example of Indian politicians reaching the peak of their career much after they past their youth are plenty. People are now conscious about their health and wellness and the mushrooming of heath care and grooming facilities and the queue there of people in their 30s and 40s surely tells the story” said Sarang Panchal, Executive Director, Consumer Research ACNielsen, and South Asia.
When it comes to remaining in the parental home until the late 20s, opinion was divided between the East and the West. In Asia Pacific the extended family is still very much part of the cultural landscape. Of the top ten markets agreeing that it was perfectly OK to remain in the parental home Singapore (88%) leads followed by India (83%).
“In India we come from very close knit family, where children are not treated as adult but pampered till as late as late 20’s. In India, unlike Europe it is culturally more acceptable for children to remain in the family home into their twenties” said Panchal.
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 younger? Despite a majority of respondents who would not consider cosmetic surgery when they’re older, one in five was open to the idea. Globally it tends to be teenagers or 20 something who are most receptive to cosmetic surgery. For Indians too 88 percent of people are not willing to undertake any cosmetic surgery when they are older. The difference in openness between the sexes is starker when it comes to using cosmetic surgery to look younger with 32 % women saying they may consider this option to look younger as against 16% men.
“India’s adaptability in younger generations towards fashion, trends, lifestyle is growing at a faster pace that the older generations. Cosmetic Surgery the newest fad is catching them much sooner than their older counterparts. As a relatively new service and India being not a mature market for cosmetic surgery the chances of reference check is also significantly low. These all could be attributed to the reasons behind keeping the older generation out of trying something which is as critical in terms of making a hole in the pocket and experimenting with your look” said Panchal.
Among the top 10 markets who would not consider cosmetic surgery, Hong Kong (94%) ranked number one, followed by Indonesia (92%), Malaysia (91%), Japan (91%) and India (87%). At the other end of the scale 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 Baltic’s. Korea (28%) was the only non-European market making the top 10 list. (Table 4)
“Living in the first decade of the 21st century, 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 marketers to find new ways to communicate, and connect with, their target consumers’ said Panchal.
About the survey
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 Baltic’s.
Markets Covered:
Australia (Aus), Austria (AT), Belgium (Bell), Canada (Can), China (Chan), Denmark (Den), Finland (Fin), France (Far), Germany (Ger), Greece (Grey), Hong Kong (HK), India (Indy), Indonesia (Indo), Ireland (Ire), Italy (Iota), Japan (Jon), Korea (Koru), Malaysia (Mal), Netherlands (NL), New Zealand (NZ), Norway (Nor), Philippines (PH), Poland (Poll), Portugal (Poor), Russia (Russ), Singapore (SG), South Africa (SA), Spain (Spa), Sweden (Sew), Switzerland (Swig), Taiwan (TW), Thailand (TH), Turkey (TR), United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Czech Republic (CAE), Hungary (Hun), Vietnam (Vim) and the Baltic’s (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 A Nielsen’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.
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