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According to the survey, one-third of Asian youth feel more connected to other people’s cultures than their own. Young people from Indonesia are the most connected to the popular culture of other countries – 56% of respondents gave this assessment. They are followed by South Korea (39%), India (36%), China (33%), and Japan (32%).
This trend is only predicted to increase. This is especially true in China and India, and to a lesser extent in Japan and South Korea. This is great news for retailers—thanks to the blurring of physical boundaries of cultural transmission, they have opportunities to expand their business.
Young people from Asian countries mainly consume popular culture products such as music, video games, movies, and television. At the same time, more than half of young people say they listen to foreign music. Foreign shows are less popular, with about one-third of respondents watching them.
Young Asians, especially in India, have also adopted games from other cultures. To a greater extent, this applies to casual games, arcades, and so-called fast entertainment, in which you can bet real money. For example, recently, one of the most sensational games in India was Aviator, which peaked in just a few weeks. To start playing it, you only had to download an app on your smartphone. There were even special sites offering the best Aviator game apps in India. Other developers adopted the experience of this game and started releasing similar products.
Entertainment is not everything. A third of young people follow fashion trends in other countries, adopt beauty and grooming trends, and follow sports teams and athletes.
Young people in Asia believe that geographical location does not determine what you are interested in. They show a high level of openness to popular culture; they don’t care what country it’s about – they choose the culture that matches their interests and values, regardless of where it comes from. This is how they define a sense of community.
This can bring both opportunities and challenges for retailers and brands. Young consumers choose brands that represent a culture close to them, so retailers must listen clearly to their target consumers and offer something that resonates with them.
Young consumers are more open and have access to global culture. Therefore, retailers can start engaging with international consumers before they have a physical presence in foreign markets. This allows for significant business expansion before the retailer can enter a global market.
The research is based on interviews with over 9,500 young people aged 14 to 34 in 16 countries, including China, India, Indonesia, Japan, and South Korea.
