Young people in China express greater eagerness to boost spending in pursuit of enriching hobbies

An increasing number of young people in China are willing to spend more money on pursuing their hobbies, hoping to find a way to express their feelings and personality, build new social connections, and further enrich their spiritual and cultural lives.

Tourists visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Beijing Resort in Beijing. (Xinhua/Ren Chao)

Jia Ning, a young staff member at a museum, has been familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of aromatherapy products, especially the flagship products of major brands. Jia introduced that her “expertise” in this field is a result of her frequent habit of purchasing aromatherapy products during her graduate studies.

“In the beginning, I bought a scented candle out of curiosity, which proved to be good for me. Gradually, I bought more aromatherapy products and paid more attention to them,” Jia said.

Like Jia, more and more young people born in the 1990s and 2000s intend to buy things that are not a necessity but are simply interesting novelties, including garage kits, blind boxes that reveal a random item when opened, designer toys, and cultural and creative products. They are willing to spend money on things they like and don’t care too much about prices and the number of products they have previously bought.

Ge Yanxia, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the ever-growing spiritual needs of the people have brought about new changes in the consumption landscape. Ge introduced that the cultural value of products and services plays a bigger role in influencing people’s consumption decisions.

While older generations in China pay more attention to a product’s practical functions, young consumers prefer to spend money on their hobbies, said Song Sigen, director of the Research Center for Consumer Behavior at the Shanghai Institute of Technology, noting that meeting an individual’s emotional needs has become an important criterion for young people’s consumption behavior.

Song added that social media, which connects consumers who share similar interests, has become a driving force for the increasing popularity of boosting spending on hobbies. Besides, key opinion leaders on social media have stimulated individual consumers’ enthusiasm for spending money on their hobbies.

A girl holding a Bing Dwen Dwen doll, the official mascot for the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, poses for a photograph near a store selling Beijing 2022 licensed merchandise on Wangfujing shopping street in Beijing. (Photo/Chen Xiaogen)

According to one survey, 83.02 percent of college students surveyed said that they had spent money on hobbies that make them happy and satisfied.

Young consumers often make friends with others who have the same or similar hobbies. Spending on hobbies is closely connected with fan culture, according to Liu Liming, an associate researcher with the School of Communication and Design at the Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University. Paying for hobbies can be a resource for young customers’ sense of self-identity and sense of belonging.

Meanwhile, spending on hobbies has also ignited young consumers’ sense of cultural identity because hobby-related products and services embody cultural values, Liu said. For example, “Guochao” products, or those with designs inspired by traditional Chinese culture, can boost consumers’ confidence in China’s national spirit, its values and Chinese aesthetics. By buying products related to major sports events and activities, such as Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon, which were the official mascots for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, customers can express their recognition of and support for China’s development and progress, Liu said.

However, customers are likely to make impulse and excessive purchases when spending money on their hobbies. According to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily, nearly 44 percent and 26 percent of the respondents said that they spent less than 1,000 yuan (about $157) and 1,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan on their hobbies every year, respectively. On an online trading platform for second-hand goods, users can be seen reselling their garage kits and designer toys that they bought on impulse, with the price of each item ranging between hundreds of yuan to as much as 1,000 yuan or above.

“We can pay for joy, but not for impulse,” Song said, suggesting that customers need to establish sound consumer attitudes when paying money for those hobbies that might drive their emotional satisfaction.