A Study On The Consumption Behavior Of The City Residents

Under certain social condition, residents'consumption is the comprehensive representation of residents'demand, consumption ability and tendency. Whether consumption demand can be satisfied or the consumption is healthy and reasonable is related to improve life quality, develop social productivity and harmony. Unceasingly promote consumption level is the people's aspiration for improving life quality and the aim of building a well-off society in an all-round way, constructing a harmonious society and developing socialist productivity. The promotion of life quality will enhance people's overall development and comprehensive quality, and also will produce new social demands, providing much more consumption and accelerating the overall development progress of society.In the west, the study on consumption has a long history, and the economy utility school started in the middle of 19th century made systemic research on marketing, which was widely emphasized by the western enterprises especially in the fifties of 20th century. However, it just set up in our country, still in the trial sub stage of learning from the foreign consumption theory used in the consumption with Chinese characteristics.At present, the special research on the behavior and characters of urban residents'consumption is scrap and backward, not systemic. The urban residents made up 30% of the whole population in our country, but their consumption amount to 70% of the total consumptive value. So their consumption behavior will directly influence the changes of supply and demand in market, and then produce a chain impact on the entire national economy. Thus, we can see that making deep and systemic research on the consumption behavior of urban residents'is of great significant both in theory and practice.More than 20 years over the reform and opening-up, especially in 21st century, the economy in our country has entered into the period of transformation and development. As the increasing consumption satisfaction of urban residents, their consumption behavior tends to general stability, which crucially influences macro-economy and enterprise development. Under this circumstance, it is possible to study the current consumption behavior and characters of the urban residents, which this paper tries to analyze to explore its commonness and specialties, so as to provide some references for the government and enterprises to set down policies.Therefore, this paper, based on the theories of consumption economics and consumption behavior, especially on the historical datum, starts from urban residents'consumption structure to analyze the characters of residents'consumption structure. It researches the consumption behavior characters of urban residents through comparing coefficients, such as Engel coefficient and Gini coefficient; examines the consumption behavior of urban residents, analyzes and optimizes the residents'consumption behavior by the development model; provides the reasonable explanation of short terms in the residents'consumption through the model; then seek the sound resolution for factors which impede the residents consumption.The paper develops as following orders: first,discuss the structure characters of residents consumption base on the comparison of historical datum to find the intrinsic factors which change the consumption structure. Then based on the present constitution of our country, analyze the environment of residents'consumption from external factors which influence the residents'consumption to external causes which determine the consumption characters of urban residents. As the deep and wide researches of Gini coefficient in our country now, the income gap is regarded as another core factor influencing the consumption behavior of urban residents. Take Gini coefficient in the typical city Shenzhen as an example to discuss the consumption structure and behavior characters in Shenzhen. Second, describe the residents'consumption structure and behavior characters to seek the resolutions which impede the consumption and optimize consumption by the development model. Third, based on the current situation of residents'consumption of urban residents to build up the consumption behavior model and describe the short terms of urban residents. At last, discuss the impeding factors of consumption behavior, especially for the new concept—social stratum, make further analysis of the factors impeding the current consumption and behavior to seek better resolution. The following is the structure of the paper:Chapter 1: Introduction. Make an introduction on the research background and scale, the train of thought, research methods and the paper's basic structure. More than 20 years over the reform and opening-up, especially in 21st century, the economy in our country has entered into the period of transformation and development. As the increasing consumption satisfaction of urban residents, their consumption behavior tends to general stability, which crucially influences macro-economy and enterprise development. Under this circumstance, it is possible to study the current consumption behavior and characters of the urban residents, which this paper tries to analyze to explore its commonness and specialties, so as to provide some references for the government and enterprises to set down policies.Chapter 2: Material summary. First, summarize the foreign theories of consumption behavior. The first part is the summary of ancient classical consumption theory of the west. The western classical consumption theories focus on renounce consumption to adapt to the capital accumulation when the capitalist production form was established. The second part is the summary of western consumption theory. The contemporary western consumption theory developed on the basis of classic consumption economic thought and theory, mainly including: consumer behavior theory, consumption function theory, consumption structure theory, consumption level theory and the policy and technology about supply and distribution of consumables. Then sum up the research history of China's consumption economy. One is retrospection to the researches on the consumption in our country. And another is the summary on the consumption economy theory since the reform and opening-up policy was carried out. In the over 20 years'process of reform and opening-up, the research in consumption economy in our country has achieved in-depth development and break-through progress, building a solid foundation for the consumption economy theory with Chinese characteristics.Chapter 3: consumption structure characters of urban residents. This chapter is composed of 3 parts, and the first part: based on the Engel coefficient, analyze the consumption structure and summarize the current consumption structure characters. At present, the consumption structure of urban residents in our country has entered into the middle stage of well-off society, and the consumption structure is increasingly reasonable, which is shown as following 3 aspects: First: clothing consumption is tending to be reasonable; second: the traffic and communication consumption is in a rapid increase; third: the consumption form is transformed from"coincidence"to"variety". At the same time, some problem can't be neglected in the consumption structure of urban residents, mainly including the following 6 aspects based on the rationalization of consumption structure: first: nutrition is not balanced and the diet structure is not reasonable; second, medical care consumption is in a low proportion; third, other consumption is in a very low level; fourth: the living consumption is lower; fifth: the entertainment and culture consumption is not high; sixth, the consumption of"five colors food"which mainly include vegetables is very serious in our country. And the other is the analysis of residents'consumption in China.The second part is the analysis of the factors impeding consumption behavior. First, from the point view of supporting factors of consumption increase, it can be summarized as following: First: the fine development of national economy could promote the stable development of consumable market; second. The urbanization progress would enhance consumption demand and improve the consumption structure, so the new consumption cycle will arrive, and the consumable market will be enlarged.Second: analysis on the slow increase of consumption demand. 1. The prolonged drive is lacked in increasing residents'income; 2. The income gap is still enlarging and other consumption is not prevailed; 3. The urban residents have no power to improve the consumption quality; 4. The residents'consumption tendency is still not changed.The third part is the analysis on the Gini coefficient function. Gini coefficient is proposed by the Italian economist Gini in 1922, which is the index of the degree of income gap. This part of the paper take the datum of Shenzhen city as a example to analyze the consumption structure and calculate based on the Gini coefficient to compare its impact on the consumption structure and consumption behavior. The result shows that the enlarging income gap is the major factor impeding the consumption increase. To narrow income gap could promote the consumption increase.Chapter 4: Empirical analysis of consumption behavior of urban residents. This chapter, based on the various consumption expenditures, analyzes the consumption structure between 1995 and 2004, and estimate the various marginal consumption tendency and kinds of consumption income of urban residents in our country in the year of 1998, 2001 and 2004, with the help of linearly expenditure system. Then make an analysis of consumption structure changes and consumption structure of urban residents and provide the policy advices of optimizing consumption and expanding consumption demand efficiently.Chapter 5: the short terms model of urban residents. The first part is the precondition design of the model. First, set the micro consumption behavior of residents, the setting will include the external environment and intrinsic quality; second: the setting analysis of consumer's external behavior; third: the setting analysis on consumer's intrinsic behavior. The second part is the precondition assumption of the model, and then show the model based on the assumption. The third part is the analysis of short terms consumption to discuss its characters and impeding factors through 3 propositions. And the last is the model conclusion: through the analysis of impeding factors of residents'consumption in China, the viewpoint of this paper is as following: In addition to the traditional income factors, the impeding factors of residents'consumption still embrace: 1. the increasing unequal distribution of residents'income retrains the national consumption tendency; 2. The fluidity restriction will promote the anticipant consumption increasing rate to optimize the consumption path and reduce the current consumption tendency;3. The preventive deposit motive of the residents is promoting, which not only enhance the deposit, but also bring down the anticipant consumption increasing rate; 4. The supply restriction and demand friction will impact the consumable quantity to reduce current consumption tendency.Chapter 6: The impeding factors of residents'consumption. The first part is the inspection of the insufficiency of consumption demand: First, provide the source of impeding theory of consumption. It is generally recognized that the insufficiency of consumption demand is the typical fact, which need the macro adjustment policy of the government to adjust and stir. The consumption restrictive factors are very complicated. The second part is the analysis of main restrictive factors of residents'consumption: in the practical condition of China, except for the traditional income factor, the consumption is also influenced by: supply restriction and demand friction, fluidity restriction, preventive deposit motive and wide income gap. The third part is the analysis of social stratum's influence to the consumption behavior. The social stratum is relative lasting group composed of the members with same or similar social statuses. It is just because of the difference of social status that make the social members belong to different stratum from low to higher. The difference between social stratums would produce obvious impact to consumer psychology, so different consumers belong to different stratums will be of some difference in life and purchase style.Conclusion: This paper analyzes the consumer behavior of urban residents through a consideration of the characteristics of expenditures at this changing economic environment, qualitatively and quantitatively researches into the internal and external factors influencing the consumer behavior. The paper discusses the short-sightedness of urban consumers and explores the factors restricting the expenditure behavior in a comprehensive way, providing reference and hints for further researches.