Voices from Mainland China: How will people live, work and shop in the future?

In the first survey of its kind, CBRE polled more than 20,000 people worldwide earlier this year to understand how they will live, work and shop in the future, and how this will impact the real estate they use. This report summarises the findings from the 1,525 mainland China-based respondents included in the poll.

The survey findings revealed fresh insights that can be harnessed to inform real estate occupier and investor strategies, and ensure that real estate is positioned to meet users’ evolving needs.

LIVE

Increasing desire to move: 22% want to move their home, with city centre areas most popular

Homebuying sentiment remains robust: 80% planning to move their home in the next two years want to buy instead of rent. One-third of Gen Z intend to rent in future

The pandemic has prompted a shift in home selection criteria: 76% say health and safety is a more important factor than price when selecting a home

WORK

Offices are still the major place of work: 90% currently spend at least three days per week working at the office, However, desire for flexible working is rising, especially among younger staff

Transportation and amenities are crucial factors in rising employee satisfaction: 90% are satisfied with their city centre offices. Over 70% working in new CBDs hold the same feelings, but this figure falls to 17% for those in rural areas

Workplace quality matters: 81% of workers attach greater importance to the quality of their workplace, the highest of any country included in the survey

SHOP

Outlook for personal finance is upbeat: 80% of consumers expect their financial situation to improve over the next year

Offline shopping is here to stay: 66% prefer to see products in-store before ordering online. More than half prefer to return or pick up goods in store rather than by post

Ethical consumerism is growing: 95% say they are more aware of environmental and societal issues when they shop

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