Most consumers plan to shun China-made toys
Poll: Three-quarters of Americans express distrust after safety recalls


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Updated: 1:22 p.m. ET Oct 17, 2007


CHICAGO - Three-quarters of U.S. consumers plan to shun toys made in China this holiday season, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll.

Of almost 1,000 people polled, 75.8 percent said they would not buy Chinese-made toys.

The results come in the wake of several high-profile recalls this year of toys made in China that either contained lead or small magnets.


"There are always caveats, but there is no question that there is an anti-Chinese product sentiment today that really did not exist a year ago," said John Zogby, president and chief executive of Zogby International, which conducted the poll for Reuters.

But while the sentiment is strong, it may not necessarily reflect actual buying behavior, he said.

"Do they flip the toy around and do they look on the side of the box to see if it's made in China?" Zogby asked, adding that significantly lower prices for a toy made in China could also affect consumers' decisions.

As for holiday spending overall, half of those polled — 49.8 percent — said they planned to send about the same on gifts as they did last year, while 31.1 percent said they planned to spend a little or a lot less. Only 18.3 percent said they planned to spend a little or a lot more.


"There's economic anxiety out there," Zogby said.

The results were in line with other retail surveys and forecasts for the holiday season.

Recall information
Are your kids' toys safe?
To find out if a product you own has been recalled, you can try searching the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s database here.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prerel.html

Concerned parents and caregivers also can sign up to received an e-mail alert when a new product recall is made public. To sign up, click here.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx

To find out if a toy you own was part of the Mattel recall, and get information about obtaining a voucher for the cost of the product, click here.

http://www.mattel.com/safety/us/


The National Retail Federation, for example, said on Tuesday U.S. shoppers plan to spend 3.7 percent more on holiday-related items than they did in 2006, almost half the 7.2 percent planned increase last year.

Consumer experiences in grocery stores also appear to match up with the price increases manufacturers have posted to cope with higher costs for ingredients ranging from wheat to milk.

More than 80 percent of respondents said they are spending more at grocery stores than they did last year, with 28.6 saying they are spending a lot more and 53.2 percent saying "a little more."

The poll was conducted October 10-14 and 991 likely voters responded. The poll has a margin of error of 3.2 percent.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. Click for restrictions.




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