CHIN2500 Chap.9 Consumption Patterns in China and Australia
Consumption Patterns in China and Australia
Consumption Patterns in China and Australia brings together the Week 2 discussion topics and two readings. A Chinese research brief adds four new perspectives to traditional consumption analysis and builds six dimensions, from daily and quality consumption to self-pleasing, co-creation, digital and harmonious consumption.
A Reserve Bank of Australia box explains how pandemic spending shifts led the statistics bureau to re-weight the Consumer Price Index in 2020. The chapter ends with language points from a news report on recovery. Every figure is given with its measure and year, so the chapter doubles as practice in reporting data accurately in English.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Three traditional perspectives
- 02
Four new perspectives
- 03
Six consumption dimensions
- 04
Pandemic spending shifts
- 05
CPI re-weighting in 2020
- 06
Phase, subdued and reporting verbs
Worked example · free
Report a consumption figure accurately
- 1Digital economy: 'In 2022, China's digital economy reached 50.2 trillion yuan, equal to 41.5% of GDP, according to the brief.'
- 1Consumption share: 'The brief notes that final consumption spending has stayed above 50% of GDP for eleven consecutive years.'
Key terms
- Engel coefficient
- The Engel coefficient is the share of total spending that goes on food, used as a measure of how well-off a household or country is.
- Self-pleasing consumption
- Self-pleasing consumption is spending aimed at one's own happiness and experience rather than practical need.
- Co-creation consumption
- Co-creation consumption is buyers working with brands on the ideas, design or promotion of products.
- CPI weight
- A CPI weight is the share of the index basket given to an item, based on household spending on it.
- Tradables
- Tradables are goods and services commonly traded across borders, for example imported manufactured items or overseas travel.
- Recovery phase
- A recovery phase is the period in an economic cycle when activity picks up after a downturn.
Consumption Patterns in China and Australia FAQ
What are the six dimensions in the Chinese consumption brief?
The brief builds six dimensions of consumption structure: daily consumption in the ordinary spending categories; quality and brand consumption; self-pleasing consumption focused on one's own experience; co-creation consumption with brands; digital consumption such as online shopping and livestreaming; and harmonious consumption that values health, family, society and the environment.
Why did the CPI weights change so much in 2020?
Pandemic restrictions changed household spending sharply. International travel fell from about 5% of household consumption to very low levels, while groceries and household durables rose. Because the index must reflect what households buy, the bureau re-weighted it using timelier data such as supermarket scanner data, and travel's weight fell from about 3% to under 0.1%.
What language points does the lecture draw from the economic news report?
It contrasts phase, one period in a cycle, with stage, a point of progress. It notes that continued and subdued act as adjectives, explains lose sight of as failing to consider, highlights varied reporting verbs such as noted and emphasised, and points out the participle clause before the main clause and the past perfect.
What is the Engel coefficient?
The Engel coefficient is the share of total consumer spending that goes on food. The Chinese research brief mentions it as a widely watched measure within traditional consumption analysis, used to judge how well-off a household or a country is. As incomes rise, the food share usually falls while spending on housing, education and health rises.
What does self-pleasing consumption mean?
It is spending aimed at making oneself happy and improving one's own experience, rather than meeting a practical need. The brief describes it as a lifestyle attitude among younger Chinese consumers and cites a report that more than six in ten people born in the 1990s and 2000s centre their spending on it, while still valuing family and social wellbeing.
Assessment move
Build a one-page fact sheet for each reading: three figures with measure and year, the main argument and three key terms. Draw the six-dimension hexagon from memory and give one consumer example for each dimension, using both Chinese and Australian cases. Practise reading data aloud in English with share of, weight in, rose to and fell to.
For the news report, rewrite three sentences with a participle clause and list four reporting verbs with the nuance each adds. Finally, prepare short answers to the lecture's discussion topics on shopping methods and consumption change. Compare one Chinese and one Australian example for each theme the lecture lists, such as online shopping or support for local businesses, and note one figure for each.
Working through Consumption Patterns in China and Australia in CHIN2500? Sia is AskSia’s AI Arts and Humanities tutor — ask any CHIN2500 Consumption Patterns in China and Australia question and get a clear, step-by-step explanation grounded in how CHIN2500 is taught and assessed. Read this chapter free, then take your hardest questions to Sia.
