A recent survey conducted in 31 major urban areas in China showed
the top ten issues of most concern to Chinese city dwellers in 2001
were commodity prices, employment, medical service reforms, care
for the elderly, housing, education, public security, the minimum
wage, bribery and corruption and environment.
"What were the issues concerned you most in 2001?," some 13,300
people were asked in the survey conducted by Mei Lande Consultant
Company through random calls to institutes or organizations
directly under the central government as well as street interviews
at the end of the year 2001. Some 30.3 percent named commodity
price as their main concern, making it first among the top ten
issues.
However, the commodity prices that concern urbanites are no longer
those related to common goods but rather to medical service,
education and housing. According to many of those surveyed, a bout
of flu alone can cost a person over several hundred yuan, and the
fee for a child to enter preschool can be several thousand yuan.
Living expenses plus tuition for a college student can reach 10,000
yuan (US$1209.66) a year.
In
terms of the occupation, the people most concerned about commodity
price were retired workers, ordinary workers, self-employed
businessmen and housewives -- accounting for 51.9 percent -- who
reported commodity prices as their No. 1 concern.
And there is another reason for people's overwhelming concern for
commodity price. Those who want to buy cars, houses and other major
purchases with their personal savings are concerned a lot about any
change in commodity price. To take advantage of the best time to
purchase, these people keep themselves updated on market
fluctuations. These people made up some 10 percent to 20 percent of
those included in the group that made commodity price their top
concern.
While great progress has been made in China's regulation of its
national industrial structure, employment has become a pressing
issue. The survey showed that employment ranked second in the top
ten issues for urbanites.
Medical service reform was the third most important issue,
especially among retired people, office workers, administrators in
public institutions, specialists, technicians and government civil
servants. The people in these categories made up 68 percent of the
total who focussed on medical service reform.
The survey also indicated that the level of concern on commodity
price, employment, and medical reform varied according to different
regions. The NO. 1 concern among people in China's north,
north-east, east, central, south-west and north-east regions was
commodity price with central China ranking first, with 37.2 percent
giving commodity price as their top concern.
In
the north-east, north, central, south-west and north-west of China
where unemployment is higher, employment ranks second on people's
list of important issues. In north China where employment situation
is better, employment ranks fourth after issues of concern to the
elderly.
(中國網
[China.com.cn] January 22, 2002 by Yang Xiaoping, translated by
Feng Shu for China.org.cn)