China's city-dwellers are spending more on those things that come with a good health promise,, an official survey has found.
Sanitary essentials, sports goods, organic food and communication gadgets figure high on the spend list of urban consumers both during SARS and now as the disease is brought basically under control in China.
The spending shift is based on a belief that such items can help people lead safer and healthier lives, and help them ward off illness
The conclusion was made by the Price Monitoring Centre under the National Development and Reform Commission in its recent national survey.
The centre's branches in 35 major cities across China conducted the survey throughout May. It includes the responses of more than 3,000 people.
Xu Lianzhong, branch director with the centre told China Daily that a report based on the findings has already been submitted to central government.
"We aimed to locate the preference changes of consumers brought about by the SARS outbreak,'' said Xu. "The findings are helpful in improving the decision-making process of the government and enterprise.''
According to the survey, about 80 per cent of urban residents planned to increase their expenditure on sanitary essentials. And some 35 per cent of respondents said they were considering buying an electrical disinfecting appliance.
The SARS outbreak also caused many to rethink their eating habits. Nearly eight out of 10 surveyed have increased their expenditure on vegetables, fruits, beverages and organic foodstuffs.
In those SARS-hit cities such as Beijing and South China's Guangzhou, nearly half of the residents have increased and will continue to increase their spending on keep-fit equipment.
To cut the level of face-to-face contact, city dwellers turned to the Internet and other distant methods of communication. About 20 per cent of those polled said their Internet spending was rising.
Yu Xiaoxi, an employee with the Beijing-based joint venture CU Lighting said her family has increased its percentage of the family's budget on healthy foods and fruit, sports and keep-fit goods and the Internet.
"SARS has changed my husband and me a lot and we care more about health than before,'' said Yu.
In May, the couple spent about 1,200 yuan (US$144) on fruit, vegetables, keeping fit and working online from home. Compared with their previous monthly expenditure, it spelt an increase of nearly 300 yuan (US$36), she said. Adding:
"We will continue the trend.''