Bangkok--3 Sep--Synovate
Thailand youth are top users in all that a mobile offers
From sunrise to sunset, with the many occasions taking place in between, the latest Young Asians survey by global market research firm Synovate shows the lives of Asia’s youth revolve around their mobile phones. Personal ownership of mobiles has increased from 60% in 2008 to 64% in 2010 among this young population surveyed.
Thailand youngsters are the top chatterboxes across Asia — they spend 1.7 hours a day talking on their mobiles, above the regional average of 49 minutes. They are also the top group across Asia in utilizing their mobiles for all it offers: among mobile phone owners, 67% listen to music on it (regional average 51%), 65% take pictures with the mobile-cam (regional average 47%), 47% listen to the radio (regionally 23%), and one in three (32%) record video with it (regionally 21%).
This 5th Synovate Young Asians study provides an in-depth look at the lifestyles, habits, product ownership and media consumption of youth across Asia. Respondents ranged from eight to 24 years old across 11 markets in Asia, covering China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. A total of 12,302 youth were surveyed via face to face interviews and online during Q2 2010.
Comments Rattaya Kulpradith, Director of Synovate in Thailand: “We are excited about the trends we’re seeing in Young Asians. This year, we see that the mobile phone is simply inseparable from its owner. Mobile phone is the primary form of communication among Thai teens, though it is not a device for talking only anymore. The mobile phone is also an "entertainment" unit."
Staying in touch
”New to this year’s Young Asians survey, we found that youth ranked family as most important in their lives (83% regionally, 93% in Thailand), followed by friends and health (45% and 44% respectively). Thai youth choose to use mobile phone calls as a key channel to stay in touch with family closest to them, particularly their parents (70%), showing the importance of the mobile,” says Rattaya.
Social networking is another channel playing an increasingly important role in the lives of Thai youngsters. Thai youth have many more friends on their social networks — 211- than Asian youth who average 140 contacts. The mobile phone is the main communication tool with family and close circle of friends, while social networking is used for reaching a broader group of contacts.
Online and gadget savvy
The top online activities that Thai youth participated in over the past 7 days were listening to music (56%), searching for information (51%), and playing online games (49%). They also own more gadgets compared to the regional average, such as personal mobile phones (72% of youth in Thailand own one vs. regional average of 64%), desktop computers (42% Thailand vs. regional 32%) and laptop computers (18% for both groups).
Comments Steve Britton, Managing Director of Synovate in Thailand: “Before, when we considered the impact of the Internet and the hot topic of social media, we thought of access through the computer. Now we have friends and social networks literally in the palm of our hands.
“With increasing ownership of smart phones and availability of infrastructure for mobile Internet connectivity, we foresee more and more youth accessing all that the Internet offers through their mobile. It’s on the go and so convenient.”
Opportunities for mobile marketing
Britton said: “One in four (23%) Thai youngsters indicated they could not live without their mobiles, and 26% can’t live without their televisions. In addition, with 27% of Thai youth saying they would love to receive or respond to ads on their mobile phones in return for getting paid/incentivised, and a further 31% saying they would like to receive more ads on their mobiles even with no incentives involved, it truly shows the great opportunities available for mobile marketing. Youth in Asia are looking to receive the latest information to wow their peers. Reaching them through mobile is the most immediate way to gain their attention.”
Note to editor
Please see the attached fact sheet for specific information about Young Asian’s personal product ownership, social media habits, overall internet activities, and favourite sports stars. Percentage results are on the sample population surveyed.
For further press information or pictures please contact:
Kasama Tipbumrung / Nawajit Thanaboon
Synovate (Thailand) Limited
Tel: 02 237 9262
Email:
[email protected] /
[email protected]