ACNielsen: Chinese consumer confidence grows as economy rebounds

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- With the majority believing the recession is behind them, Chinese consumer confidence is expected to continue to grow in the coming year, according to a survey by global marketing research firm ACNielsen, Monday's China Daily reported.

The survey said Chinese shopper confidence remains strongest in the East and due to increasing optimism in job and financial prospects, the nation's middle and western regions are getting increasingly upbeat as well, the newspaper said.

ACNielsen recently questioned more than 3000 shoppers across China, discovering that, during the third quarter, consumer confidence rose 12 percentage points to 101 compared with the second quarter, largely driven by renewed trust in job and financial prospects, according to China Daily.

Consumers in western and central China recorded the greatest lift -- eight percentage points higher than the second quarter -- but shoppers in the west of the nation remain noticeably less optimistic than in other areas.

The survey also found that the rebound in consumer confidence has not had much influence on saving habits, according to the newspaper.

Despite the fact that almost nine out of ten Chinese consumers believe the nation is out of the recession, more than half continue to put spare cash firstly into savings, followed by investing in their children's education and purchasing new clothes, the newspaper said.