Attitudinal gaps shrink in Asia

<p>TOKYO: Hakuhodo's latest Sei-Katsu-Sha regionwide survey has found </p><p>that attitudinal gaps between generations and genders are shrinking in </p><p>the advanced markets of Asia, with the exception of Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The study, involving almost 11,400 people in 14 major cities, found that </p><p>there was still big differences between men and women in Hong Kong, with </p><p>the latter scoring significantly higher in a number of key areas </p><p>including self-fulfilment, lifestyle, trend- iness, stability and family </p><p>happiness. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>At the same time, Hong Kong youths were more socially-oriented compared </p><p>with people a generation or more older. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In Taipei, which also has a high standard of living and shares a similar </p><p>culture, the gaps were smaller and there was a tendency for people to be </p><p>inward-looking and indifferent to those around them. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Satoshi Oyama, Hakuhodo research and development division global </p><p>marketing supervisor, said the difference can be attributed to </p><p>demographic factors. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Hong Kong is still a society where competition rules and a place where </p><p>new immigrants, especially from China, go to in search of a new life, a </p><p>dream. This is similar to the American society, where competition is </p><p>high, there is a large gap between the rich and poor and which is a </p><p>place people try to emigrate to in search of a better life," he said. </p><p>Taipei, on the other hand, is developing similar to Japan, Oyama said. </p><p>"Class differences are small, the middle class is large, people are </p><p>inward-looking and the generational gap is small." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The findings are significant for marketers: more non-conventional </p><p>marketing strategies are needed to reach Japanese and Taiwanese </p><p>consumers compared with their Hong Kong counterparts. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>