U.S. Consumers Are Less Willing To Buy ‘Made In China’ Items In Wake Of Coronavirus Pandemic: Study

The empty U.S. shelves of surgical masks and other things, coupled with the images of first responders and hospital staff not having enough personal protective equipment in the thick of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic may have served as another wakeup call for American consumers: many are becoming “hostile” toward China-made products, according to a study. 

About half of consumers said they agree or strongly agree that U.S. retailers should cut back on sourcing from China, more than double the 20% who disagreed, according to a study released this week by Coresight Research. Two-fifths of American consumers said the pandemic has made them less willing to buy products made in China. 


 “This is a further indication that U.S. retailers should review the extent of their reliance on China as a manufacturing hub,” according to the study, titled “Consumers turn against Made in China” as part of the weekly surveys the firm has conducted since mid-March.  The result is “indicating a mistrust among U.S. consumers about China-made products and a backlash over the coronavirus.”  


Across different age groups, at least two-fifths of consumers each said they agree or strongly agree that U.S. retailers should reduce buying from China, with the percentage surging to thee-fifths among consumers ages 60 or older, the results show. 

This was the first time the weekly survey asked U.S. consumers about their sentiment toward things made in China in the wake of the pandemic.

The most recent survey also pointed to the continued challenges facing U.S. retailers as the U.S. economy reopens—over three-fifths of consumers expect the crisis to last for more than six months. 

Just as the issue of sustainability is no longer an afterthought in the fashion industry, the coronavirus outbreak has highlighted the vulnerabilities facing a global supply chain driven often only by lowest costs and over-dependence on China, known as the world’s factory and the biggest source of imported goods to the U.S.  

The coronavirus pandemic is “ drawing attention to the ways in which the United States and other economies depend on critical manufacturing and global value chains that rely on production based in China,” the non-partisan think tank Congressional Research Service said in an April study. 

China’s move to “nationalize” control of the making and distribution of medical supplies and direct 3M
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, GM and other U.S. companies’ production for its domestic use played a big part in reduced exports of medical supplies to the U.S., according to the study.

China’s move to “secure supplies from the global market” before coronavirus escalated into a global pandemic likely also “exacerbated medical supply shortages in the United States and other countries,”  the report said.

Top U.S. imports from China also include computers and cell phones, appliances, furniture, toys, shoes and apparel, according to the CRS report. 

The medical supplies shortage has led to many U.S. and other global brands, from Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch and Champion parent HanesBrands
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to luxury giant LVMH and  Zara parent Inditex to retrofit production lines to make things from hand sanitizers to face masks. 

Meanwhile, the fear of some drug shortage also had led some pharmacy consumers to pay out of pocket for a year’s worth of prescription drugs they need, Costco has observed.

As consumer sentiment shifts, it may help hasten the trend of many companies looking to diversify beyond China to other countries and even consider bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. that was already underway in the wake of U.S.-China trade war. 

One sign there’s growing demand for Made in the USA: more than 10,000 results recently came up on Amazon
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under “Made in USA face mask” in the search bar, with many sellers pitching that fact loud and clear.

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