The Impact of Demographic Structure on Consumption Structure: A Comparative Study of China and Japan

Abstract

This paper adopts a comparative methodology. The comparison between China and Japan is justified by the significant similarities and crucial differences in their developmental paths. This research initially applies quantitative approaches to examine the data furnished by the primary statistical agencies of both nations. Subsequently, a multiple linear regression analysis is carried out via EViews to explore the correlation between age cohorts and final consumption expenditure. Additionally, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is utilized through SPSS to analyze the consumption structures of China and Japan in each period. The results indicate that both China and Japan exhibit features of a stacked consumption society; nevertheless, Japan has undergone four distinct consumption epochs, while China might have only gone through three. In Japan, the emergence of a stacked consumption society is temporal in nature; conversely, in China, it is spatial.