Consumer Trends Report - Table of Contents

The Consumer Trends Report, a research document from the Office of Consumer Affairs, has a two fold purpose. First, it provides a general overview of past and current economic and marketplace trends of relevance to consumers. Secondly, the report points to research gaps and opportunities for future work by the consumer affairs community.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

• Acknowledgements
• Preface
• Introduction
  • Significant change for consumers and the marketplace
  • Better data and more analysis needed
  • Good data and analysis are prerequisites for good public policy
  • Our approach to examining consumer trends
  • Who is a consumer?

Part 1: Canadian Consumers in a Changing Economy

Chapter One: Key Macro-Economic Trends

• Summary
• A High Growth Economy
• Canada's Low Inflation Economy
• Regulatory Reform of Monopolies and Oligopolies
• A More Open Domestic Marketplace
• A Marketplace Transformed by Technology

• Consumer Trends Update – Fall 2006
  The Expansion of Cellphone Services (PDF Version, 180 KB, 12 pages)

• Chapter One References

Chapter Two: Consumers and Changing Retail Markets

• Summary
• The Changing Retail Market Structure
• The Increasing Use of Technology in Stores
• The Internet and the Consumer Marketplace
• Technology's Role in Changing Financial Services
• The Growing Presence and Changing Forms of Advertising
• Chapter Two References

Part 2: Understanding Today's Consumer

Chapter Three: Consumer Demographics

• Summary
• The Changing Age Structure of Canada's Consumers
• Canada's Changing Households
• The Changing Ethnic Composition of Canadian Consumers
• Where We Live: The Geographic Distribution of Canadian Consumers
• Chapter Three References

Chapter Four: Consumer Literacy and Education

• Summary
• Better Educated Consumers
• Consumer Literacy Challenges
• Chapter Four References

Chapter Five: Consumer Income

• Summary
• Consumer Income
• Chapter Five References

Chapter Six: Consumer Assets

• Summary
• Consumer Assets
• Chapter Six References

Chapter Seven: Consumer Debt

• Summary
• General Trends in Debt
• Trends in Consumer Bankruptcies
• Chapter Seven References

Chapter Eight: Consumer Net Worth

• Summary
• Consumer Net Worth
• Chapter Eight References

Chapter Nine: Consumer Spending

• Summary
• Overview of Household Spending
• Spending by Income Quintile
• Spending by Household Type
• Consumer Spending on Transportation
• Consumer Spending on Food
• Consumer Spending on Health Care
• Chapter Nine References

Conclusion: Making Sense of Consumer Trends

• Major marketplace and economic trends
• Social and economic change among consumers
• The varying effect of social and economic change
• The consumer trends research challenge
• Afterword
• Appendix: Technical and Methodological Issues
• Appendix References

About This Publication

Cat. No. Iu70-4/18-2005E-HTML
ISBN 0-662-39442-9
54321E

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