About 17.1 percent urban residents plan to buy houses in the next three months, according to a survey released on Sunday by the People's Bank of China, the central bank.

The People's Bank of China conducted a questionnaire survey of 20,000 urban households' depositors in 50 cities across the country in the third quarter of 2022.

The data showed the urban residents' income sentiment index hit 47.0 percent in the third quarter, up 2.5 percentage points from the previous quarter.

Around 12.2 percent residents believe their income increased in Q3, up 1.4 percentage points from Q2 and 69.7 percent residents believe their income remains the same, up 2.2 percentage points from previous quarter.

The surveyed residents' income confidence index reached 46.5 percent in Q3, up 0.8 percentage points from previous quarter.

Chinese residents' willingness to save maintained strong momentum with 58.1 percent of those surveyed expressing a tendency to save more and 22.8 percent expressing a willingness to consume more.

Those who would like to invest more account for 19.1 percent in Q3, up 1.2 percentage points from previous quarter.

The top five areas they would like to spend more money in the next three months include education, medical treatment and health care, high-value goods, social, culture and entertainment, and tourism, accounting for 30.0, 27.2, 19.4, 18.8 and 17.3 percent, respectively.