15+ Charts for Understanding Chinese Consumer Views and Behaviors

Chinese consumers constitute a significant portion of the global market, which makes understanding their preferences, priorities and actions essential both for foreign governments crafting international policies and for companies conducting business abroad. An informed approach is crucial for leaders navigating this sensitive environment because complex geopolitical dynamics can heighten the risks associated with foreign policy decisions, and brand missteps may provoke backlash from Chinese consumers.

This Chart Pack contains over 15 key Morning Consult charts delving into the views and behaviors of Chinese consumers, including their perceptions of the nation’s economy, motivations for boycotting foreign brands, spending habits and international travel preferences.

Chart Pack highlights:

• China’s public sees economic growth as the country’s top priority. More than one-third of Chinese adults (36%) rank growing the economy as the most pressing policy priority for the nation right now. Ensuring social stability (29%) and growing China’s military and defense capabilities (27%) round out the top three.
• Ethics, geopolitics and economic nationalism are the main motivations behind Chinese consumer boycotts. About a third of Chinese adults who have boycotted foreign brands or companies said it was because of the brand’s unethical actions (33%) or a company spokesperson’s criticism of the Chinese government (32%).
• Compared with Americans, Chinese consumers are less skeptical about brands selling their data. Just 27% of U.S. adults are comfortable with their profile information being shared with other brands, whereas 45% of Chinese adults are accepting of the practice. This trend doesn’t hold among Gen Zers though: About one-third of China’s Gen Z adults are on board with brands selling their profile information, compared with 36% of those in the United States.
• Chinese adults are more open to international travel than they were last year, but their preferred travel destinations have shifted. Over half (52%) said they are “very interested” in traveling abroad for tourism, up 24 percentage points from 2022. However, changes in Chinese travel preferences mean some destinations stand to benefit from this heightened interest more than others. The share of Chinese adults planning trips to North America in the next year decreased the most, dropping 18 points from 2022, while the share expecting to visit North Africa saw the greatest increase, rising from 1% in 2022 to 12% in 2023.