The Mainland Middle-Class Consumer Survey published by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council confirms that China's emerging middle-class consumers increasingly long for international brands, even when they are aware that the products are made in China. The survey was conducted from December 2012 to January 2013 among 1,600 respondents in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shenyang, Nanjing and Changzhou. It found that middle-class consumers increasingly care about the quality of products and service, and that they want their purchases to help them display their personal style. About 81 percent of the respondents bought international brands in the past year, including 74 percent who bought garments by international brands. Another striking number is that 85 percent of the middle-class respondents shopped online and 58 percent said they were inclined to share their thoughts about their consumption on social media platforms.

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