A 2005 survey conducted by Horizon Group revealed that employment, social security and housing are the top three social concerns for Chinese citizens. Accordingly, the public is increasingly focused on reforms in housing, education and medical care, according to a Chinanews report on Monday.

 

In the course of the survey, 4,128 residents were interviewed. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 60, and they were selected from eight cities, seven towns and their suburbs. The geographic scope of the survey included Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shenyang, Xi'an and Nantong, towns of Zhuji of Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, Changle of Fuzhou, Fujian Province and more.

 

The survey indicated that 26.7 percent of town dwellers care most about housing reform, while 32.8 percent of those living in cities expressed similar concern; 19.8 percent of respondents care most about reform in medical care; 17.3 percent care about education of the young, and 12.4 percent are keeping an eye on the reform of education system.

 

Based on the demographics of profession, age and income, the survey sampled four representative groups: seniors of at least 50 years of age; blue-collar working people younger than 50 with a monthly income of less than 3,000 yuan (about US$372); white-collar business people younger than 50 with a monthly income of more than 3,000 yuan; and college students.

 

Of the blue-collar group, 49.4 percent are concerned about layoffs and their steady employment. That exceeds the number of those white-collar business people concerned about job security, 31.6 percent, students at 30 percent and seniors at 29.1 percent. As to reforms in the medical care system, 30.4 percent of the seniors care about the subject, surpassing white-collar concerns at 21.5 percent, blue-collar sentiments at 20 percent, and students at six percent.

 

The government has devoted more effort to the reform of the medical care system in recent years, and all social groups now have higher expectations.

 

Results of a similar 2001 poll were very different from 2005. The earlier survey indicated that people living in the countryside cared most about particular living issues: 42 percent people cared most about random charging; 41 percent about their children's education, 31.5 percent were very concerned about corruption, and 24.9 percent cared greatly about public security.

 

This year, the social issues mostly concerning people living in the countryside can be classified into two categories: development and self-protection. As to the development issue, 41.5 percent of those surveyed were concerned about agricultural policy, 27.2 percent cared about education of the young, 23.5 percent cared about the state's economic developing level; and as for self-protection, 23.6 percent people cared most about migrant workers' rights and interests, and 19.6 percent care about social security.

 

The report indicated that as migrant workers flowed into the cities in search of employment, on one hand the countryside residents became more aware of the state's economic development and how changes in policy can effect their lives; on the other hand, the inequality sometimes suffered by migrant workers on the job made them realize the importance of protecting their own rights and interests.

 

(China.org.cn by Zhou Jing, December 28, 2005)