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A new research program has been established that determines the nature and extent of consumer socialization of children throughout the industrialized world. The first three nations' children to be studied were those in Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Taiwan. This paper describes this program, the results of the three consumer socialization studies, and provides cross‐comparisons among the three nations and the United States.

Presents the findings of Millward Brown’s international study of the relationship of the youth generation with brands, using these findings to give marketers advice on how to connect with young people. Emphasises how much more grown up are today’s tweens (8 to 14 year olds) than previous generations, and the opportunities this gives to marketers. Discovers that tweens not only influence the brands they buy for themselves but also expensive family purchases. Examines how brand loyal they are, finding that brand loyalty increases sharply at the age of ten and peaks at around 30. Outlines the brand pyramid, with the strongest bonding of consumer to brand at the top, and assesses the importance of peer pressure in determining brand loyalty, including the “fish‐streaming” phenomenon (in which younger children wish to use the brands that teens do). Discusses whether brand loyalty is a lifetime relationship, and how some brands like McDonald’s successfully segment their markets to appeal to all ages.

Reports on two studies conducted in Hong Kong, one in 1989, the other in 1994, to see if children’s socialization as consumers has changed in the intervening years. Formulates hypotheses, based on the earlier research, that children will receive spending money by the time they are four, that the amount will increase as they get older, children will spend money by the age of four, they will also save money, older children will visit more shops than younger children, and children will go shopping without parents by the age of four. Outlines the research methodology used – 318 questionnaires used for analysis, composition of the sample of respondents, demographics – and records how analysis of variance was used to make comparisons with data from the earlier study. Considers income, spending and saving attitudes in children, as well as how they spend and what they buy. Finds that, in 1994 (compared to 1989) children aged 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12 receive more money; 4, 7 and 10 year olds spend a higher percent of their income, saving has decreased for 4, 7 and 10 year olds, children’s real income has doubled since 1989, independent shopping trips seem to have been postponed until the child is 6 but co‐shopping with parents has increased for all ages; most shopping trips without parents focused on food stores and street vendors that were easily accessible from home, but purchasing behaviour has not changed significantly. Indicates that Hong Kong children are pursuing a western (US) model of spending income, rather than the Chinese model of saving, and that children are undergoing consumer socialization and consumer education – as evidenced by the single fact that in 1994 $161.8 million was spent in Hong Kong by children aged 4‐12.

This study investigates household access to traditional and new media, media exposure, time spent on media and other activities, and attention to advertising among rural children in mainland China.

A survey of 1,008 rural children ages six to 13 in four Chinese rural provinces was conducted in March 2003. Questionnaires were distributed through elementary schools. The number of students in each school varied from 150 (in Heilongjiang) to 575 (in Yunnan). All the schools were situated in counties with population of less than 131,000. A national research company was appointed to administer the data collection.

Ninety‐eight percent of rural Chinese children have access to television and 71 percent have access to children’s books. Access to other broadcast and print media was under 50 percent. Most of the media consumption was in‐home. Rural children spent most of the time playing with friends, study and watching television. Older children spent more time on media and other activities than younger children. Boys spent more time on electronic games, radio and videotapes than girls. Respondents reported that they sometimes watched television commercials while they seldom attended to advertisements in all other media.

This paper offers insight to design media strategies to disseminate product information to rural children in China.

The purpose of this paper is to offer a selective and necessarily truncated history of the place and use of qualitative approaches in the study of children's consumption in order to provide some depth of understanding regarding differences between and commonalities of approaches employed by academic market researchers, social science researchers and, to a lesser extent, market practitioners.

The paper examines key research statements about children's consumption beginning in the 1930s to ascertain the underlying conception of the child informing the work.

It is argued that there has been a displacement of psychologically oriented, developmental conceptions of the child with sociological and anthropological conceptions resulting in an acceptance of the child as a more or less knowing, competent consumer. This shift has become manifest in a rise and acceptance of qualitative research on children's consumer behaviour by social science and marketing academics as well as by market practitioners such as market researchers.

Methods – here qualitative methods – must be seen as enactments of theories about conceptions of the person, rather than simply as neutral tools that uncover extant truths.

Attending to how one “constructs” the child may usefully inform debates about the harmfulness or usefulness of goods and messages directed to children.

This paper helps in understanding the long history of children as consumers, how they have been understood and approached by market and academic researchers interested in consumption and various ways conceptions of ‘the child’ can be used.

This article has been withdrawn as it was published elsewhere and accidentally duplicated. The original article can be seen here: 10.1108/03090569010002861. When citing the article, please cite: James U. McNeal, Chyon-Hwa Yeh, (1990), “Taiwanese Children as Consumers”, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 24 Iss: 10, pp. 32 - 43.

Explores the consumer behaviour patterns of urban Chinese children as a primary and an influence market. Examines, as primary customers, their income, spending and saving pattern. Finds that they have two different types of income, save over half of it, and spend the rest on snack items, and the largest portion on school‐related items. Analyses their influence on the spending behaviour of their parents and grandparents among 25 product categories and the results reveal that they influence around two‐thirds of parents' purchases. Also considers role of age and gender on children's consumer behaviour. Discusses some marketing implications.

The research reported here was a first attempt to determine where Chinese children as consumers learn information about new products and their attitudes toward different sources of information. Chinese children’s usage of the mass media was also examined, as was the relationship between mass media usage and information sources. The findings show that Chinese children utilize a wide variety of information sources to learn about new products including parents, retail outlets, and the mass media, and surprisingly they consider the newest medium, television, to be the most important of all. The effects of gender, age and family occupation were also considered. Some important marketing implications are suggested.

Explores the attitudes to TV advertising of Chinese children, the “little emperors/empresses“ who now have enormous influence on the market, largely as a result of the one‐child policy that China adopted in 1979; like children elsewhere, they appear to pay less attention to commercials as they get older and become more sceptical about their truthfulness. Outlines the methodology used in the research, differences between Hong Kong and mainland children, children’s favourite commercials, and their views of advertised versus non‐advertised brands. Moves on to regulation of children’s advertising: unlike many Western countries, there is a lack of specific regulation of TV advertising to children, and the rapid though uneven growth of TV advertising in China has led to irresponsible practices.

Examines how much attention urban mainland Chinese children pay to television commercials, their response to different types of commercials, and their perceptions of the quality of advertised and non‐advertised brands. Classifies the types of commercials seen as funny, animated, public service, celebrity endorsements, and those that increase knowledge, and relates these types to the four age groups of the children studied. Concludes that children pay a decreasing amount of attention to commercials as they get older, and that the link between liking a commercial and impulse buying of its product also lessens; confidence in advertised brands does not increase with age, but confidence in non‐advertised brands decreases with age.