Chinese consumers remain fiscally conservative

Eight out of 10 Chinese mainland consumers plan on saving the same amount they have been, or even more, in the next six months as a precaution, MasterCard said in a survey released on Monday.

That result is similar to the proportion of consumers in Taiwan (79 percent) and Hong Kong (71 percent).

The latest survey shows that money management strategies are conservative throughout China.

For instance, consumers in the Chinese mainland plan to save an average of 26 percent of their income in the next six months, followed closely by Taiwan (23 percent) and Hong Kong (21 percent). Interestingly, Hong Kong (94 percent) had the largest proportion of respondents planning to save the same amount or more in the next six months, followed by the Chinese mainland (92 percent) and Taiwan (80 percent).

While most respondents in the Chinese mainland are saving for investments (59 percent), the majority of consumers in Hong Kong (60 percent) and Taiwan (51 percent) are setting aside a portion of their income for retirement.

Interestingly, 53 percent of the Chinese mainland respondents in 2012 saved for international travel, compared to 18 percent last year, the survey showed.