The single economy – the new consumer culture
"There are two trees outside the window, one is a date tree and the other is a date tree." Recently, Lu Xun's lonely literature has gained momentum on Douyin, and behind the wonderful comments of many netizens, all of them reveal the "bitterness" of being a "single dog".
In 2018, the single group in the mainland has reached 240 million people, and with the expansion of the single group and the enhancement of the consumption power of the single group, a new consumer culture - the single economy has begun to emerge.
Tracing the origin of the single economy can be found that it is like the concept of the night economy, which originated from the "single women's economy" proposed by McKinsey in 2001.
Influenced by the popular movie "BJ's Single Diary", the living conditions of single women began to enter the public eye, and after discussing the social and economic lifestyles of single, young, professional women in urban areas, McKinsey proposed the "single women's economy".
With the development of society, single men have also begun to receive public attention, and the single economy has also expanded to the scope of men, becoming the "single economy" as we know it now. In simple terms, it is an umbrella term for all economic activities related to the singles group.
The single economy in a broad sense is equivalent to the "single economy" and covers all single people living alone, including unmarried, divorced, widowed single and solitary groups. At present, the key single groups concerned in China are mainly unmarried young people living alone, and the economy driven by them is the single economy in the narrow sense.
Although the single group in the mainland due to late marriage, late childbearing or even infertility is getting bigger and bigger, considering the increase in the elderly population caused by the current aging problem in China, we are concerned about the single economy in a broad sense.
The rise of the single economy, obviously a driving force is the increasingly large single group. More and more young people choose to live alone, and these single young people who live alone, especially in Western developed countries, often choose to form "single-family" families.
According to the data, nearly 15% of the nearly 2 billion households in the world are currently single-family. In the European Union in 2019, single-family households accounted for an average of nearly 34%, of which more than 40% of the countries included Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Of course, among the countries with a high proportion of single households, the United States, Japan, Canada, and South Korea are also on the list.
Behind the increasingly large single group, there is no shortage of social phenomena in which women have higher education and are economically independent, marry late and have children later, and pursue independent life.
As early as McKinsey proposed the "single women's economy", it pointed out that the rise of this economy is largely due to the increase in women's education and economic independence. At present, the single group in many countries, especially in the city, single women with higher education backgrounds account for a large proportion.
With the continuous improvement of education and the competitiveness of women in the market, it is not a big problem to obtain a stable income. With the continuous change of cultural concepts in women's minds and the increasing pressure faced by men in society, the age of first marriage is also constantly postponed.
Among them, in 2019, the average age of first marriage for women in some developed countries in Europe was postponed to 30+, and for men, it was 33+.
As society becomes more tolerant of singles, Dink, etc., more and more people choose a single lifestyle.
There is another reason behind the growing single population - large-scale population movement, which is obviously a social phenomenon on the mainland.
With the blessing of the Internet and technology, the various needs of single people can be met. As their incomes rise and their spending power grows stronger, the single economy becomes more prosperous.
The single economy may be promising
Driven by a large single group, the "charm" of the single economy has been gradually released, and the current development of the single economy in developed countries has shown a strong trend.
As early as 2012, South Korea, as the fastest growing country for singles in the world at that time, its single economy was growing day by day, various single dating procedures were emerging in an endless stream, and the demand for some single goods and single rental services such as single sofas and camping leisure products increased rapidly.
In the four years from 2008 to 2012, the rental market for daily necessities in South Korea increased by nearly 40%. In 2018, the number of marriages registered in every 1,000 people in South Korea was only 5, the lowest value since 1970, and with the increase in the number of singles in South Korea, various "one-person play" and "one-person food" services have emerged.
In Japan, where the proportion of singles is higher, the "one-person economy" has developed into a mature industry. There are more and more products such as one person using kitchen utensils such as one person casserole, one person rice cooker, etc., and one person learning projects such as dessert making, pottery classrooms, and flower arrangement classrooms have gradually emerged.
Even in Japanese monasteries, a "one-person economy" model has emerged, providing a sutra writing zazen service for a single person. In the wedding dress industry, a wedding dress service for single women has also been launched.
One-person food and one-person tourism, which have only emerged on the mainland, have become widespread in Japan. The consumption of the one-person economy has greatly promoted the development of local tourism.
Today's single groups often have a high degree of individual-based characteristics, that is, to their own needs as the center, and the traditional family needs are not the same, the single group itself is highly independent, with the autonomy of consumption. In the case of weaker constraints, the consumption tendency of single groups is higher, and they tend to personalize, avant-garde and high-end consumption under the consumption of "self-pleasing type".
Therefore, in order to meet the consumption needs of single groups, the single economy developed with single groups as the core often has the characteristics of fast replacement of products and services. In addition, under the single economy, the product is more convenient and refined to meet the needs of a single person.
For individuals, a variety of new consumer products and services in the single economy emerge in an endless stream, which accurately meets various personalized needs. In the pursuit of a single lifestyle, the rise of the single economy is a huge benefit.
In addition, under the development of the single economy, many aspects have also changed. The marketing model has shifted from focusing on commodity marketing to focusing on service and quality marketing, from focusing on family consumption to focusing on personal consumption, from attaching importance to material to attaching importance to spiritual consumption, and from popularization to individual innovation.
Driven by the single economy, the tertiary industry has developed rapidly. And under the requirements of single groups for product personalization and innovation, the update iteration of products will accelerate, and the speed of industrial upgrading will also accelerate.
Under the satisfaction of the consumption needs of the single group, the single economy is beneficial to the upgrading and transformation of domestic industries.
Secondly, single groups often have less "obsession" with housing, and many single people are more and more able to accept renting life or even renting to get married, of course, the pressure behind high housing prices also affects the choice of single groups, both of which are undoubtedly a great driving force for the development of the rental market.
With the increase in the number of singles in many countries in the world, the single economy still has a lot of room for development in many countries.
Pay attention to the development model of the domestic single economy
Under the influence of the increase in the average age of first marriage, the decline in the marriage rate and the rise in the divorce rate, as well as the large-scale population movement, the huge number of single people in China has brought huge "passenger flow" to the single economy.
According to the Statistical Yearbook of Chinese and Employment 1994-2020 and census data, single-person households in mainland China have maintained an upward trend between 1994 and 2019, with the proportion of single-person households rising from 5.7% in 1994 to 18.45% in 2019.
Although this value is not as high as that of developed countries such as the European Union, it has already had a greater impact on the traditional family model of the mainland's "big family style".
The current development of the single economy is the inevitable result of modernization and demographic change. Benefiting from the development of the single economy is an opportunity that should be seized in the face of the rise of the economy.
Echoing the demand for single consumption, domestic Mini-style products have emerged one after another, which can be seen everywhere in many platforms such as Jingdong and Taobao. One-person kitchen utensils, refrigerators, mini small fans and other products occupy a large number of single group consumer market, mini economic atmosphere prevails.
At present, the domestic pet market is also sought after by many young people, and the rise of the pet economy is inseparable from the expansion of the single group.
Whether it is a single young person alone in the city or a lonely widowed elderly, they are common customers in the domestic pet market. For example, single young people in the city, in their single lifestyle, in order to eliminate loneliness, pets such as cats and dogs will often become the first choice.
Under the expansion of pet demand, many related industries such as pet grooming, medical treatment, food, etc. have developed.
Also related to the single economy are the "she" economy and the single silver economy.
Obviously, the "she" economy is related to domestic women, and the combination of "her" economy and single economy is the original "single women's economy", and the overall consumption power of single women is much stronger than that of single men in China.
With the improvement of women's education level, the strengthening of economic independence and the transformation of their own concepts and social environment, women are more and more "willing to spend money" on themselves, especially the current post-90s and post-00s.
Post-80s women are more likely to assume the role of wives and mothers. As the main implementers of family education, especially children's education, post-80s women will pay more attention to low-cost social group models and some pan-entertainment and leisure activities.
Post-90s and post-00s women have a higher sense of autonomy, love socializing, visiting B stations, brushing vibrato, and prefer to enjoy actuarial and meticulous services. Especially after the adult 00, it has become a new force in the consumer market, the "night owl" has obvious characteristics, and the consumption ability of "thousand yuan" is "not a problem".
Among the single population, there are often more women than men in the cities, and more men than women in the rural areas with weak spending power. Therefore, in the city, which is an important focus area for the development of the single economy, grasping the "she" economy and attaching importance to the consumption needs of single women is the key point of the development of the single economy.
In addition to single women, the aging problem in the mainland has also brought about a huge elderly group.
According to the data of the seventh national census, the population aged 60 and above in the mainland has reached 260 million, and there is still a trend of accelerating the aging process, which makes the economic activities related to the elderly population (that is, the silver economy) also enter the public vision.
With the improvement of living standards and the change of concepts, the consumption demand of the elderly has also shown the characteristics of diversification and quality. Among these elderly groups, there is no shortage of divorced or widowed elderly widows, as a member of the single group, their daily consumption, housekeeping and health services, tourism and entertainment consumption demand will also be an important part of the single economy.
Be wary of the problems behind the singles economy
Although the development of the single economy is an inevitable result of modernization and demographic change, it is also necessary to see the hidden problems behind it through this result.
For individuals pursuing a single life, the development of the single economy is indeed a great benefit.
However, in the single group, many "passive" single people, how to solve their single problems should also enter the public view with the "single economy".
"Passive" single young people may be difficult to get off the list due to self-positioning deviations, and may also be difficult to get off the list due to the pressure and anxiety caused by the social environment. As they enjoy the goods and services brought by the single economy, the problem of "singleness" has also become a problem.
And with the increasing number of single people, the marriage and childbearing rate declines, the fertility of the people tends to shrink, and the market lacks the basic motivation and ability to promote the production of labor.
Under the intensification of national aging and the "three-child" policy, this situation is not optimistic. It is difficult for individuals to intervene in their own choices, and the economic and life pressures brought about by society are also intensifying, and the contradiction between the choice of singleness and the problem of social "delisting" is temporarily difficult to resolve.
Behind the expansion of the single group, the large-scale population flow in China has also played a big role.
At present, the domestic population flow shows the characteristics of "the proportion of floating population flowing to cities and towns is still increasing" and "the proportion of floating population flowing to areas with high urbanization rates is still relatively high".
In 2020, the number of people flowing to cities and towns in China was 331 million, accounting for nearly 88% of the total floating population. Among the mobile areas, the eastern region absorbed 73.54% of the inter-provincial floating population, and the western, central and northeastern regions absorbed 15.06%, 7.65% and 3.75% respectively.
Although in some respects, the flow of population is conducive to the dissemination of innovative technologies and knowledge and the promotion of the flow of production factors, the large-scale population movement on the mainland will also cause uneven distribution of labor resources, insufficient development momentum in backward areas, uncoordinated regional development and some urban problems.
Returning to consumption driven by the single economy, even if it is beneficial to the single group, there is also a problem of excessive consumption risk and cost increase.
Due to the higher consumption autonomy of single groups, stronger consumption tendencies and lighter constraints such as families, there may be a risk of blind consumption, and some online lending fraud in previous years can only be taken advantage of under the blind consumption of young people.
Under the development of the single economy, some young people with insufficient self-control are prone to "lost eyes" and fall into the trap of excessive consumption.
In addition, under the single economy, the cost of living, which was originally consumed by household units, became individual consumption, and the lack of group effect increased cost expenditure, which actually conflicted with the cost reduction advocated by the "sharing economy".
Compared to the previously mentioned economic model, the single economy hides many problems.
As mentioned in the previous "Shanghai Night, How Many Secrets Are Hidden..." that under the condition that public security and transportation are guaranteed, the night economy is in full swing. However, these problems behind the single economy are more difficult to solve, and only behind the prosperity, pay attention to vigilance against risks.
Swipe up and down to see references:
Lan Yuyun." The rise of the single group and the trend of mainland social and economic policies[J].Academic Research, 2021(12):68-75+177.
Suo Hanxue. Don't applaud the single economy[N]. China Business Daily, 2021-12-27(A03).
WU Fan. Single Economy: The Rise of a New Consumer Culture[J].People's Forum, 2020(32):94-97.
WU Fan. Single Economy: A New Economic Phenomenon Worthy of Attention[J/OL].Journal of Xinjiang Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2022(02):1-11[2022-01-10]. DOI:10.14100/j.cnki.65-1039/g4.20210611.001.
WANG Lei. Research on China's Single Economy: Connotations, Characteristics, Trends and Suggestions[J].Jinyang Academic Journal, 2021(06):93-101.
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Article with figure: Figureworm creative
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