Senior and Young Generation’s Green Tea Consumption Status and Tea Culture Awareness Comparative Study

Abstract

Korean society is facing the rapid ageing of the population and a low birth-rate. The tea industry needs to develop an industry-wide strategy to address this growing segment of elderly consumers. This study investigates the characteristics of the tea consumption habits and tea culture awareness of elderly and young people, in order to gather the basic marketing and consumer data. Based on a survey of 211 participants, this study found that water and coffee are the most preferred drinks for elderly and young people. Elderly people tend not to go beyond their limited set of preferred drinks, whereas young people show greater diversity. The preference for green tea is higher for elderly people than for young people. Health was the most important reason for drinking tea for both elderly and young people. The consumption of other beverages was the main reason for not drinking tea. Other factors that impede tea drinking are difficulty in tea preparation, the high price of tea and the physiological reason of avoiding caffeine in tea. To market green tea to elderly people, it is important to address these perceptions, in order to successfully gain entry into the growing consumer market for elderly people.