Half of respondents say they won't change the way they buy food even after the tax cut on groceries. Will they use the free money to save and invest?

A survey by market research firm Intage found that half of consumers do not think they will change their purchasing habits even if the consumption tax on groceries is reduced. More than one-third of the money freed up from the tax cut was used to prepare for the future, such as saving and investing.

The survey was conducted by market research company Intage from August 28th to September 1st, and 3,052 people aged 15 to 79 responded.

When asked what behavior would change in their shopping due to the tax cut, 49.7% of respondents answered, ``Despite the tax cut, I won't change the way I shop.'' 32.6% said they would "hold back on purchases just before the tax cut," 28.4% said they would "spend on living expenses without consciously thinking about it," 25.8% said they would "buy in bulk after the tax cut," 22.2% said they would "spend on small luxuries," and 21.5% said they would "buy things they had been holding off on buying."

While many people are making steady ends meet, this suggests that there are a certain number of people who are loosening their purse strings after the tax cut.

When asked about changes to the dining table after the tax cut, the most common response (11.3%) was ``I'll buy one more item and then I'll buy more.'' 10.0% said they would have more opportunities to eat desserts and sweets, and 9.1% said they would have more opportunities to eat fruit.

Also, the most common way to use the money saved from the tax cut was "savings" at 25.7%. Combined with 10.4% of respondents who said they were "investing," more than one-third were thinking about preparing for the future. On the other hand, a total of 33.5% of people cited hobbies and activities, including 15.1% who said "travel, driving, and leisure."

INTAGE's Hiromasa Tanaka/life...