More than 80 percent of older participants in a survey said they felt discriminated against when shopping, the Consumers’ Foundation said yesterday.
Taiwan is to become a super-aged society by 2025, presenting an estimated NT$23 billion (US$716.4 million) in business opportunities for companies catering to older people, the foundation told a news conference in Taipei.
The foundation therefore conducted a poll among people aged 50 or older to gauge attitudes toward older shoppers, including service, shopping environment, products, accessibility and more, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Consumers’ Foundation
Of the 723 respondents to the online survey, nearly 90 percent said that they encountered products that made them feel discriminated against based on their age, the foundation said.
Product descriptions were mentioned by most of those who felt discriminated against, with 97 percent of them saying that many labels are hard to read, it said.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents reported feeling somewhat or strongly discriminated against in Taiwan’s consumer culture, with more than 60 percent feeling labeled as “out of touch” with fashion, or needing nutritional supplements or health-focused appliances.
“How is this not a stereotype? In the next 20 years, Taiwan’s population pyramid is to become inverted, with more people aged 50 or older than below 50,” said Wu Chun-cheng (吳春城), chairman of the Strong Generation organization, which seeks to promote dignified aging.
Wu called on businesses to rethink their approach to older people.
Catering better to older shoppers would create a “win-win situation” for businesses and consumers alike, Wu said.
Some tourist agencies exclude people aged 50 or older, but especially with advances in medicine and technology, age is no longer an indicator of a person’s fitness, the foundation said.
In clothing stores, many clerks assume older customers are buying products for a younger family member or friend, it said.
“When more than 80 percent of older people have experienced ageism when shopping, it is an issue worth considering,” foundation chairman Terry Huang (黃怡騰) said.
“One in five people is to be older than 50 by 2025,” Huang said, urging businesses to focus more on “consumer equality.”
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS