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Risk or OpportunityA Study on Building anAge-friendly Consumption Environment風險或機遇共建長者友善消費環境的研究CONTENTSEXECUTIVE SUMMARYEnglish VersionChinese Version (報告摘要 )CHAPTER 1: BACKGROUND1.1 World Population Ageing1.2 Concerns Over Consumer Well-being in the Silver Economy1.3 Well-being of Hong Kong Ageing Consumers at Policy Level1.4 Chapter ConclusionCHAPTER 2: CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR OF THE AGEING CONSUMERS IN HONG KONG2.1 Characteristics of Ageing Consumers in Hong Kong2.2 Consumption Behaviour of Ageing Consumers in Hong Kong2.3 Major Consumption Pattern2.4 Views on and Experience in the Market2.5 Chapter ConclusionCHAPTER 3: GAPS IN DELIVERING AN AGE-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT CASE STUDIES3.1 Complaints Lodged by Ageing Consumers3.2 In-depth Review on Selected Industry Sectors3.3 Chapter ConclusionCHAPTER 4: OVERSEAS EXPERIENCES ON PROTECTING AND PROMOTING AGEING CONSUMERS INTERESTS4.1 Protection of the Elderly as Vulnerable Consumers4.2 Building an Age-friendly Consumption Environment4.3 Chapter Conclusion25912ixiii1417202844465258606574CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION5.1 Recommendation 1: The Government - A Pivotal Role in Developingan Age-friendly Consumption Environment5.2 Recommendation 2: Concerted Efforts to Empower Ageing Consumers for their Fair and Active Participation in the Market5.3 Recommendation 3: Businesses should support the Government to Enhance Traders Age-friendly Awareness and to Make Them Age-friendly5.4 Recommendation 4: Increase Diversity of Quality Goods and Services for Ageing Consumers5.5 The Way Forward Age-friendly Consumption EnvironmentPOSTSCRIPTACKNOWLEDGEMENT7879858990 :ABBREVIATIONSAARPACCCAPECATM C healthier and financially more capable to afford more in purchasing products and services in the sectors of entertainment, healthcare and finance; and have higher educational attainment and are more receptive to information and communications technology (ICT) development.EXECUTIVE SUMMARYii Young-olds are generally retired and have less retirement protection from work as they are not well-covered by the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes launched in 2000. They tend to be married and live with their spouses, although some might be widowed at later stage. They have comparatively lower educational attainment and might not be skillful in applying ICT, though some of them are trying to acquire the relevant knowledge and skills. They have more leisure time after retirement and may spend more on recreational and leisure activities, as well as travel. They may have higher demand on healthcare products and services, as physical function decline and chronic illness would become more obvious and common in the course of ageing. Educational attainment of the old-olds is in general lower than the other groups. They are less likely to know how to use ICT. Quite a number of old-olds are widows resulting from longer life expectancy of female. They are relatively more dependent and tend to live with their children. Given that frailty and cognitive decline are common among old-olds, they are likely to be heavy users of hospital, medical and care services.Overall speaking, this consumer group is affluent. Though retired, they are in general financiallysupported by their own savings, assets, children and so on. Moreover, elderly people are expected to stay longer in or rejoin the labour force to meet the manpower demand of society, which remain keen in future as a result of prolonged low birth rate. It follows that they would remain active in consumption as a significant segment of the market.Despite the heterogeneity amongst these groups of ageing consumers, the commonality is the functional decline along ageing process. Physical or cognitive deterioration would make elders vulnerable to unfair trade practices. Elders suffering from emotional or social distress can be an easy prey for unscrupulous traders, thus, there appears to be a global trend that governments are paying increasing attention to the protection of vulnerable ageing consumers. For instance, the European Union (EU) has given legal protection to vulnerable consumers due to, amongst others, age. The Japanese government has also reviewed the legislations stipulated to protect the vulnerable consumers, including the elderly, as a result, amendments have been made to relevant consumer protection Acts to provide consumers the right to cancel the contract for excessive quantities as selling excessive quantities is found to be an inappropriate behaviour that takes advantage of a consumers impairment in decision-making. Be it for the economic gains or social justice, the market has to be shaped to become an age-friendly consumption environment which is the very basis of a robust and healthy development of the silver economy. It is also an attribute of ageing-well as it has positive implication on active ageing and good quality of life in older age. As a consumer, not only should they be offered sufficient choices, they also deserve understanding of their needs, preferences and physical constraints, as well as respect, empowerment and protection.Nevertheless, in Hong Kong, the needs of the elderly are perceived from a broad social perspective and met generally through delivery of medical, health and social welfare services with the encouragement of pursuit of Active Ageing through life-long learning, extension of working life and use of ICT, as well as building an age-friendly community. iiiTHIS REPORTThe Consumer Council finds the creation of an age-friendly consumption environment in Hong Kong imminent given the rapid expansion of ageing population. It is high time that society as a whole were engaged in discussion seeking to tap into concerted efforts of various sectors, including the Government, businesses, social organisations and consumer protection bodies for the creation of such a friendly environment for the elderly. To stimulate the discussion, the Council produces this Report. It analyses the findings from a survey, focus group discussions and desk research on overseas age-friendly initiatives and the complaints lodged by ageing consumers with the Council; and concludes with recommendations to protect ageing consumers and promote their well-being through empowering them withcross-sector collaboration and governmental initiatives. Hopefully, this Report will serve as a useful and objective basis for public deliberation. THE SURVEYThe Council, with the support of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS), conducted a survey (the Survey) on Hong Kong residents aged 55-79 to gauge the Hong Kong ageing consumers consumption patterns, attitudes and behaviours with regard to consumption, susceptibility to unfair trade practices and access to support on matters regarding consumption, and the extent to which the market is meeting their needs. A total of 1,779 respondents were interviewed on-street and on-site in elderly centres between October to December 2016.HIGHLIGHTS OF FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONSAgeing consumers are generally active and socialisedThe findings of the Survey is consistent with those of the Councils desk research on the profiles of the ageing consumers in Hong Kong. Conventionally, the elderly may have been stereotyped as inactive homebody. However, the Survey presents a contrary profile in that the ageing consumers were found in general leading a rather active and socialised lifestyle. The “soon-to-be-old” group (aged 55-64) was found to be more educated, having higher personal income and spend more on average than the older ones aged 65-79. Overall, the top three commonly consumed recurrent items were transportation (94.7%), dining out (79.8%) and telecommunications (including web surfing and use of mobile phone) (67.3%), and the top three commonly consumed non-recurrent items were entertainment/hobbies/leisure/refresher courses (47.8%), festive/birthday expenses (45.5%) and other gifts (41.9%). These items constituted a substantial share of their aggregate expenditure. Travel, though not at the top of the list, constituted the largest share (20.7%) of the ageing consumers aggregate expenditure on the non-recurrent consumption items. Difference was found between the two groups, i.e. the soon-to-be-old and the elderly group, in terms of the consumption of the recurrent and non-recurrent items. In the month preceding the Survey, a significantly higher proportion of the soon-to-be-old group consumed lifestyle items like dining out and telecommunications, as well as paid for household expenses and spent toivsupport family members. Conversely, significantly higher proportion of the elderly group spent on medical care (44%) whereas lower proportion of it spent on dining out, telecommunications and the household expenses. On the other hand, in the period of 12 months preceding the Survey, a significantly higher proportion of the elderly group expended on donation while significantly lower proportion of it had consumed on items like festive/birthday expenses; entertainment/hobbies/leisure/refresher courses; other gifts and fitness/massage. The results of the soon-to-be-old group reflect a pattern that turns out to be the contrary.Satisfaction towards the market and specific industriesApart from the consumption patterns of ageing consumers, the Survey also revealed their satisfaction towards the market and specific industries. Vast majority of the ageing consumers of both groups (71.7%) opined that there were insufficient choices in the market to cater to their needs. Public transportation, banking and medical services were found satisfied by most of the ageing consumers in both groups. Conversely, telecommunications, insurance and catering were the top three industries rated with highest dissatisfaction. Age-friendly shopping environmentTaking shopping mall as an exemplified setting, the Survey has gauged the expectations of ageing consumers towards an age-friendly shopping environment. It was found that availability of physical facilities like clean restrooms with dry and smooth floor (79.5%), seats for ageing consumers (74.3%), and sufficient and easily accessible restrooms (69.3%) were rated by most of the ageing consumers as important for creating an age-friendly shopping environment. These are followed by measures ensuring safety and sufficient information such as clear glass door awareness labels (51.6%), clear information showing directions to stores and restrooms (49.6%), and display of latest information in large typeface (43.6%). Discount offered by shops, or priority customer service specifically rendered to the elderly were only rated by around 40% ageing consumers as important.Attitude towards situation with implication on consumer interestsThe Survey also found that 38.7% of the ageing consumers encountered unpleasant experiences in consumption for various reasons (the Experience) in the 12 months preceding the Survey and more than a quarter (28.9%) of them had even encountered the events leading to the Experience related to or might be related to unfair trade practices, including retailers being dishonest, insufficient information about goods/services, sudden close-down of retail stores, deceit leading to loss, and intimidation by retailers. Information about ageing consumers responses and attitudes towards situations with implications on consumer interests would serve as an important reference for empowering them to protect themselves and seek redress when aggrieved. The Survey revealed difference between the two groups in this respect. For instance, after befriending with the salesperson, the soon-to-be-old group was found more likely than the elderly group to accept the sales pitch. However, a sizeable portion of both groups were not keen on seeking redress from the traders or filing complaint with the Council when having encountered the Experience. A significant majority of both groups would rather stop patronising the concerned retailer or talked to friends or relatives, and for those that are more intended to seek redress, they are rather from the soon-to-be-old group than the elderly group.vVulnerability as a factor for encountering events leading to the ExperienceAgeing consumers with vulnerability would be more likely to be put in a disadvantageous position in consumption activities, especially when they are treated with unfair trade practices. The Survey had explored the respective associations between the demographic and psychographic characteristics of ageing consumers and their chance of encountering events leading to the Experience related or might be related to unfair trade practices. For the purpose of analysis, four types of vulnerabilities were categorised and defined in terms of the ageing consumers physical, emotional, cognitive and mobility conditions (more details of the definitions could be found in Chapter 2, P.18). It was found that when an ageing consumer had one vulnerability, the likelihood of encountering would increase by 99%. The likelihood would further increase by 99% points, making the chance to about two-fold (198%) if one had multiple vulnerabilities(i.e. two to four vulnerabilities).Support sought by ageing consumersFamily care, neighbourhood support and social support network are found to be essential in safeguarding the interests of the ageing consumers. In fact, their most common source of consumption information within social network was family, followed by friends and relatives. However, as compared to the ageing consumers in general, a higher proportion of the ageing consumers with physical, emotional or cognitive vulnerability would obtain consumption information and to seek advice/help from neighbours and social workers/social service organisations. The Survey shows that social network and family ties are amongst the vital institutions that ageing consumers would turn to for information, advice or help on consumption issues and thus a very useful means for their empowerment.CONTENT ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINTS AND FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONComplaint statistics of the Council from October 2015 to June 2018 show that the top five most-complained categories lodged by ageing consumers are telecommunications services (23.6%), electrical appliances (11.2%), travel matters (6.5%), telecommunications equipment (6.1%), and furniture & fixtures (4.2%). Upon content analysis of the complaints, the Council saw the needs to study the “telecommunications services” and “medical products/services and elderly care”. Typical consumption problems faced by the ageing consumers in these two areas were identified by case studies and focus group discussion.As to telecommunications services, the typical problem identified was the ageing consumers inability to make use of new technologies. Such digital exclusion resulted in depriving them of options of less cost and higher efficiency and being credulous with promotion of products not suitable for ageing consumer
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