BEIJING: Chinese internet users are by far the most likely in the Asia-Pacific region to find new technology products and services exciting and to use them as much as possible a new report has said.

GfK's annual Roper Reports Worldwide study covered 25 countries and included interviews with 1,000 Chinese internet users. This revealed that that 44% of Chinese respondents welcomed technology developments and sought to use them when they could, compared to an average of 29% for the region as a whole and 32% globally.

Alfred Zhou, managing director of GfK China, observed that such figures made China "a particularly welcoming market in which to launch products and services that are embedded around new technology".

While men were generally more positive about new technology – 49% agreed they would try to use such products when they could compared to 39% of women – they were not necessarily focused on its value to them. Almost one third of respondents (30%) thought it important to master new technology products and services in order to remain up to date, but women were more likely to think this way (32%) than men (28%).

Further, there was a high level of enthusiasm among older people, with 35% of 50-59 year olds and 41% of those over 65 showing an appetite for new technology. Across the wider region the comparable figures were 19% and 15%, while globally they were 22% and 16%.

Zhou said the opportunities extended beyond the consumer electronics industry to include those capable of using technology to improve the delivery or performance of their products. He cited as examples "contactless payment systems, in-car navigation or entertainment devices, or apps allowing consumers to control items such as their home central heating through their mobile phone".

The findings echo a recent report from McCann Worldgroup's consumer intelligence unit, which said that Chinese consumers were more open than the rest of the world to new shopping options made possible by data and technology. They were particularly keen on the science fiction element, such as the use of retina scans as payment authentication.

Data sourced from GfK; additional content by Warc staff