When it comes to checking the label on bits and bobs before buying, research from Roy Morgan says Aussies are more likely to buy products that say ‘Made in Australia’.
We’ve often been partial to our homegrown creations, but the research says we’ve increased our love, with 89.2 per cent of Aussies aged 14 and over saying they’re more likely to buy products made in Australia.
Other countries’ products also increased their popularity, with Michelle Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, saying this was encouraging.
“Alongside our renewed enthusiasm for Australian-made goods, we are becoming increasingly open to, and comfortable with, the idea of buying foreign-made products,” she said. “Online shopping has broadened our retail horizons, enabling us to purchase items made in all corners of the globe.”
The widespread ‘Made in China’ labels however seem to falling, with Roy Morgan finding China was “one of the few countries that lost support over the last few years”, along with Japan.
“Curiously, despite signing a Free Trade Agreement with Australia in 2014, Japan has slipped from fifth to sixth-most popular country of origin for products we’re more likely to buy. The popularity of Chinese-made products has also slipped over the last 12 months, resulting in China dipping from tenth to eleventh place.
“This makes Japan the only Asian country of manufacture in the top 10, so it will be interesting to see whether this slump is temporary or indicative of a wider shift in Australians’ shopping attitudes…”
All industries, except motor vehicles, increased in popularity for Aussie-made products. Motor vehicles decrease was said to be unsurprising, given the “pending closures of Ford, Holden and Toyota’s domestic manufacturing plants”.
