2004 – European Consumer Study II - English

Content

Subject Area: Living and Home Improvements

1. Introduction

1.1 Age structure in the eight EU countries investigated

1.2 Purchasing power in the eight EU countries investigated

2. Living circumstances of private consumers

3. Property purchases over the next 1 to 2 years

4. Living and home improvements

4.1 Design, brand and trend orientation

4.2 Do-it-yourself and decoration

4.3 Quality versus price orientation when buying furniture

4.4 Functionality and quality when buying furniture

4.5 Furniture sales per head in Europe

5. General attitudes towards living and home improvements

5.1 Homing, or a person?s home as their castle

5.2 Feeling good and ambience

5.3 ?Home makeover? television programmes and magazines

5.4 Wooden surfaces and the sources of wood

5.5 Multifunctional furniture and shopping at IKEA

6. Criteria when buying furniture and fixtures

7. Repairs and renovations in the home

8. Overall interest in new trends and developments

9. Consumer spending patterns in the last 12 months

9.1 Spending on furnishings

9.2 Spending on domestic appliances

10. Results and outlook

11. Research methods

Sources

Description

The European Consumer Study 2004 produced by GfK-Nürnberg e.V. provides information about basic trends in selected markets regarding individual consumption within the European Union. The 362 million consumers in the eight countries covered by this study account for roughly 80% of consumers in what, since May 2004, is now the Europe of 25 countries (“EU 25”) totalling 454 million inhabitants. The relevant group for representative surveys of this kind – among people over 14 and/or 15 years of age in these eight EU countries – comprises some 300 million private consumers (cf. Federal Statistical Office 2004a).