Spoilt children's pocket money fuels consumerism

China's teenagers are spending up to 17 percent of their families' monthly income in pocket money, making them much bigger spenders than their counterparts in the United States, Japan and South Korea, a new report showed.

A study, conducted by the Youth Research Center (YRC) of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, examined consumption patterns of Chinese youth born in the 1990s.

Survey shows Chinese teenagers get much more and easier pocket money than those from other countries. Feng Lei / For China Daily

The results echo public opinion that the post-90s generation, most of whom are only children and are dubbed "little emperors and princesses", are under the sway of the rampant consumerism underscoring China's rapid economic growth.

More than 1,500 students from 10 high schools in six major Chinese provinces and municipalities, including Beijing and Shanghai, participated in the survey, which revealed the average monthly allowance for young people was 250 yuan (28.5 euros).

Students in bigger cities, such as Shanghai and Beijing, are given up to 500 yuan.

Considering the average monthly income of Chinese urban families was 1,400 yuan last year, the results were a stark contrast to the US, South Korea and Japan, where pocket money accounts for only 2 to 4 percent of household income.

And most Chinese teenagers want more, according to the survey.

"When my son passes his exams with flying colors, I usually give him what he wants," said Zhang Yanhong, a 38-year-old nurse at a Shanghai-based clinic.

Zhang said she spends more than 1,000 yuan a month - almost one-third of her salary - buying miniature cars as gifts for her 16-year-old son.

"I believe this can encourage him to put more efforts into his study, and I find it really works," she said.

Zhang said that apart from the gifts, she also gives him about 500 yuan pocket money a month.

"Sometimes when he uses up all the money, I will give him a bit more," Zhang said.

"After all, I could not let him feel he's behind the other kids in terms of an allowance."

Yang Xiong, director of YRC, said China's fast-growing economy and rising salaries are making parents more willing to give their children extra money.

"Parents also prefer to use money to reward their kids if they get good grades or do something good and this is the primary reason why their children spend an unusually high amount of pocket money," he said.

Compared to their counterparts in developed countries, who earn pocket money by doing household chores, less than 2 percent of Chinese teens earn their money in that way.

"Youths growing up in a rising and affluent China are usually spoilt and less independent and they have become used to asking for money from their parents without doing anything," Yang said.

These youngsters can usually get what they want because most of them are only children, he said.

The survey also shows that Chinese youths have a growing appetite for brands.

But easy money comes with weak social abilities and an unhealthy attitude of comparison, which is harmful for the young people, according to Zhang Qi, deputy director of the counseling center of psychology at East China Normal University.

Chinese parents always assume their children are not capable enough to earn money by themselves, he said.

"That is why lots of parents even buy apartments for their sons and daughters, regardless of their capabilities in doing so. Such values and assumptions would obviously have a negative impact upon the children."