經濟危機難擋新加坡人愛美之心
Despite the threat of job losses and the country's deepest economic recession, seven in 10 Singaporeans will continue to spend on Beauty products and services, a small industry survey showed.
One in every two polled said they spent at least S$50 ($33) a month on beauty products and a third said they would be cutting back on other lifestyle choices, not beauty, according to a survey by the organizer of the BeautyAsia 2009 exhibition.
"I don't think any of us has ever really appreciated how important looking good is to Singaporeans," show organizer Gillian Loh said in a statement.
"For the majority, it is a 'must-have' rather than a luxury."
Shopping is considered a pastime for many people in this small city-state of 4.6 million and cosmetics counters at department stores on central Orchard Road are often crowded.
The poll fits in with what economists often call the "lipstick factor," referring to the historic rise in sales of beauty products as consumers spend on small luxuries to offset their overall belt-tightening.
Despite the government's dire warning the economy could shrink by five percent this year, around 36 percent of respondents said they would keep their current standard of living, according to the poll of just under 100 people aged over 18, which was conducted in January.
Even those who said they would review their beauty spending would just switch to house brands over designer levels, it said.
一項小型行業調查顯示，儘管面臨失業威脅，國家陷入迄今最嚴重的經濟衰退，但70%的新加坡人還將繼續維持在美容產品和服務方面的開支。
這項調查由“2009亞洲美容美髮展覽”的主辦方發起。調查顯示：有一半的受訪者稱他們每月至少要在美容產品上花費50新幣（33美元）；三分之一的人稱他們將削減其它生活開支，但不會在美容上省錢。
展覽組織者Gillian Loh在一份聲明中說：“我認爲我們從來都沒有真正認識到美麗的外表對於新加坡人來說有多麼重要。”
“對於大多數人來說，這是生活的必需品，而非奢侈品。”
在這個僅有46萬人口的小國，購物被很多人視爲一種消遣方式，在其市中心烏節路百貨商場的化妝品櫃檯前，總是擠滿了人。
這項調查的結果與經濟學家常說的“口紅效應”相一致，即當消費者爲削減總體開支而只購買一些小奢侈品時，化妝品的銷量會大幅上升。
儘管新加坡政府發出警告說今年國民經濟可能會縮減5%，但約36%的受訪者稱他們將保持目前的生活水準。該調查於上月開展，僅對不到100名18歲以上的人進行了訪問。
即使稱要重新考慮美容開支的受訪者也只是將從高檔品牌轉爲普通品牌。
Vocabulary:
belt-tightening:節省開支
