Chinese New Year in the Age of Cost Consciousness

How 2,000 consumers across Southeast Asia are reshaping tradition in 2026

Chinese New Year (CNY) remains one of the most deeply rooted cultural celebrations across Southeast Asia. Drawing on insights from 2,000 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, our latest study shows that while participation remains universal, how the festival is celebrated is evolving. CNY 2026 is marked by greater restraint, intention, and financial realism. Traditions endure — but they are being navigated more carefully, shaped by economic pressures and changing lifestyles.

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Four Planning Cultures

CNY 2026 reveals distinct preparation styles across the region. Singapore and Malaysia emerge as planners. In Singapore, 43% begin preparations two weeks to one month in advance, with another 16% starting even earlier. Malaysia shows a similar pattern, with 38% planning two weeks to one month ahead and 17% starting one to two months in advance. These behaviours reflect heightened price sensitivity and the need to manage costs in higher-pressure household environments.

Thailand operates differently. A striking 39% shop in the final week before CNY, with another 49% preparing just one to two weeks ahead. This is less about procrastination and more about cultural preference — favouring freshness, flexibility, and spontaneity. Vietnam sits between both approaches. While 35% plan two weeks to one month ahead, 40% still shop within the final two weeks, reflecting a hybrid of traditional market habits and modern retail convenience.

Pre-ordering patterns further reveal cultural priorities. CNY food dominates universally (64–75% across markets), but worship supplies show sharp contrasts. Only 18% of Singaporeans pre-order these items, compared to 73% in Thailand — the highest rate for any non-food category — underscoring Thailand’s strong adherence to religious and ritual observance.

Food: The Immovable Core

Food remains the non-negotiable heart of Chinese New Year.

Very few consumers plan to skip food spending — 7% in Singapore and just 2–4% across the other markets. In contrast, discretionary categories are more easily cut. In Singapore, 11% plan zero spending on fashion, while 35% intend to skip personal care purchases (compared to 12–16% elsewhere). When budgets tighten, food is protected first.

Preferences vary by market. Singaporeans prioritise sweet snacks and confectioneries (61%) alongside fresh fruits (53%). Thais focus heavily on fresh fruits (83%) and ready-to-eat meals (65%). Vietnamese consumers lead with sweet snacks (76%) and fresh fruits (66%). These differences reflect local culinary traditions and household preparation norms — but the centrality of food is universal.

Who Hosts, and Where

CNY 2026 is decisively local, with overseas travel remaining marginal (0–12% at most). Yet how celebrations are hosted varies significantly.

Vietnam stands out asthe region’s most active host. Three-quarters (76%) organise gatherings themselves, and among them, 89% host at home. Thailand follows, with 60% acting as organisers — and notably, 93% of these hosts celebrate at home, reinforcing the importance of domestic rituals.

Malaysia shows more concentrated hosting responsibility: 36% organise gatherings, with 72% hosting at home. Singapore is the outlier. Only 26% organise gatherings, while 64% attend others’ events — a pattern shaped by smaller living spaces and time constraints. Among Singaporean hosts, restaurant usage is highest, at 31%.

These patterns matter. Vietnam and Malaysia drive demand for home-cooking supplies, Thailand balances home celebrations with selective dining out, while Singapore leans more heavily on catering and delivery solutions.

Tradition Without Joy

Reunion dinners remain central to the festival, but emotional motivations reveal growing complexity. In Singapore, 67% attend reunion dinners due to tradition, and 51% cite familial obligation. Only 31% say they genuinely want to be there. Across markets, social media validation is negligible (just 6% in Singapore), reinforcing that participation is driven by deeply internal and familial expectations — not performative display.

CNY is increasingly upheld out of duty rather than delight. The gap between obligation and desire highlights the emotional weight of maintaining tradition amid modern pressures.

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The Ang Pao Question

Attitudes toward angpaos reflect growing ambivalence. In Singapore, 56% enjoy receiving ang paos (25% love it, 31% like it), yet 44% feel neutral. Giving tells a similar story: 47% enjoy giving, while 35% feel neutral. The tradition endures, but enthusiasm has softened. Financial pressures and expanding obligations have made ang paos a more complicated ritual — maintained out of custom, rather than pure joy.

The Digital Landscape

Shopping behaviour continues to diverge across markets.

For fashion purchases, Singapore remains multi-channel: 58% shop in physical stores, 22% via brand websites, and 17% through marketplaces. Thailand shows a stronger tilt toward marketplaces (39%), while Malaysia balances physical retail (50%) with digital platforms (29%). Vietnam leads the region digitally, with 52% relying on marketplaces and just 31% shopping in physical stores.

Group buying remains niche but meaningful: 11% in Singapore, rising to 20–23% across Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Promotion sensitivity is high everywhere. Thailand (76%) and Vietnam (79%) lead active deal-hunting, followed by Malaysia (68%) and Singapore (58%). Flash sales resonate most in Thailand, group discounts in Malaysia and Vietnam, and bundled convenience in Singapore.

Spending Resilience Despite Economic Uncertainty

Despite economic headwinds, CNY spending has not collapsed.

In Singapore, 58%expect spending to remain about the same year-on-year, while 31% anticipate increases. Only 11% plan to reduce spending. Thailand and Vietnam show greater optimism: 53% of Thais and 62% of Vietnamese expect to spend more, while Malaysia sees a more cautious but still positive outlook.

This resilience reinforces CNY’s status as a protected cultural priority. Consumers are adjusting how they spend — not whether they participate.

Four Markets, One Shift

In conclusion, Chinese New Year 2026 has involved into four distinct stories:

• Singapore is optimizing tradition — planning early, outsourcing logistics, hunting for deals, quietly reducing indulgence while preserving core rituals. The emotional cost is visible: obligation outweighs joy.
• Thailand is celebrating spontaneously but strategically — shopping late but pre-ordering worship items, embracing restaurants, and maintaining genuine enjoyment ingenerosity. Cultural frameworks around merit remain resilient.
• Malaysia is navigating constraint — planning like Singapore but hosting like Vietnam, caught between urbanization and tradition. Group buying offers collective relief.
• Vietnam is hosting with pride — the region's most active organizers, celebrating at home, sustaining emotional engagement with tradition. Digital commerce and groupbuying are fully embedded.

CNY 2026's signal is clear: traditions endure, but the way they are lived must adapt to economic reality. Southeast Asian consumers are navigating that adaptation with remarkable pragmatism, resilience, and cultural fidelity — each in their own way.

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If you are interested in conducting a similar study or accessing our datasets, please contact us at sales@mili.eu.

About the study

This analysis draws from the Milieu Dataset CNY2026 Spending Survey, conducted in January 2026 across four Southeast Asian markets. The study surveyed 500 respondents in each of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam (total N=2,000), capturing consumer intentions, spending patterns, and attitudes toward Chinese New Year 2026. The research provides a comprehensive snapshot of how Southeast Asian consumers are navigating tradition amid economic uncertainty.

Data was collected using consistent methodologyacross all markets to enable direct regional comparison.