HO CHI MINH CITY, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Among Southeast Asian countries and territories, Vietnam has the highest percentage of consumers pouring their spare cash into savings, but the lowest ratio of people investing in stocks, according to Nielsen Vietnam.
Results released here on Monday of its latest survey showed that up to 77 percent of Vietnamese channel their spare cash into savings, compared to 70 percent in Indonesia, 67 percent in Malaysia and 63 percent in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, only 18 percent of local people invest their money in stocks, a relatively low ratio compared to 33 percent in Malaysia, 32 percent in Indonesia and 30 percent in Thailand.
As many as 86 percent of Vietnamese have adjusted their spending habits over the past 12 months because they think their country is going through an economic slowdown.
Around 60 percent of them have cut down on out-of-home entertainment in their effort to reduce spending.
However, Vietnamese consumer confidence continues to see improvements in the last quarter of 2014, which placed Vietnam to rank ninth among the most optimistic countries globally, according to Nielsen.
The survey also revealed that the current state of the economy remains a key concern for consumers.
As many as 18 percent of consumers in the Southeast Asian region said the economic situation is their biggest concern over the next six months. In Vietnam, the ratio is 28 percent, compared to 25 percent globally.
Job security ranks second as consumers' most concerns, with 14 percent citing it as a major worry. The ratio is 27 percent in Vietnam.
Other major worries include work and life balance and health, said the survey.