SINGAPORE Sept 8 Confidence has fallen sharply among consumers In Hong Kong, where a majority of survey respondents were worried about job and economic prospects, mastercard international said here Thursday, reports AFP.

The Asia-Pacific headquarters of the global credit card giant said pessimism was also growing among Japanese and Taiwanese, and inflation was a big concern shared across a region where optimism was still the norm.

The survey, carried out In June, polled about 500 mid-dle-and up — income people each in 10 countries — Australia. Hong Kong. India. Indonesia. Japan. South Korea. Malaysia. New Zealand. Singapore and Taiwan.

In Hong Kong. 70 per cent of respondents were pessimistic about future employment prospects, three times the 23 per cent registered in the last biannual master index survey of consumer confidence, conducted in December 1994.

They survey has five key parameters — employment, the economy, income, the stock market and quality of life

Almost 60 per cent were worried in June about the

future of the Hong Kong economy, twice as many as six months before, mastercard statement said

The British colony reverts to Chinese rule on Julv 1 1997

The master Index survey confirms what many analysts have been saying in the last few months: consumer confidence in Hong Kong is wanning." said Brian Thorm, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific marketing of mastercard international.

Although this pessimism Is not shared across the region. one economic variable, rising inflation, is a common concern, he added.

Malaysians were upbeat, with 75 per cent of respondents optimistic about the future of the economy in June, from 64 per cent in December. On employment. 65 per cent were optimistic, from 48 per cent.

Optimism also prevailed among Indonesians and Indians. Australians were fairly neutral on most categories of the survey.