More than 60 percent of families in cities in Sichuan Province
are moderately well-off - a standard of living known as xiaokang -
but more should be done to help those on lower incomes, a survey by
the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed over the
weekend.
The survey recorded the per capita annual disposable incomes of
24,000 city-based households.
Of those, 61.7 percent were found to have incomes of between
15,000 yuan ($2,000) and 60,000 yuan, which the surveyors said had
attained the xiaokang standard.
The cities' poorest families - those with annual disposable per
capita incomes of less than 3,000 yuan - accounted for 4.8 percent
of those polled, while 30.1 percent of households had incomes of
between 3,000 yuan and 15,000 yuan.
Just 3.4 percent of the families were classified as rich, with
disposable incomes of more than 60,000 yuan.
The researchers found that education was a key factor in
determining income levels.
Members of households defined as living in extreme poverty were
found to have attended school for an average of just 7.7 years,
with most of them now unemployed or blue-collar workers.
Similarly, the majority of members of families found to be
slightly better off were also mostly employed as blue-collar
workers and had attended school for an average of 8.8 years.
The survey found that both groups relied on wages as their sole
source of income.
Members of xiaokang households were found to have had an average
of 11.2 years' schooling, while for rich families the average was
13.8 years.
Rich families were found to own large homes, have at least one
car per household and in some cases derived additional income from
properties they owned and rented out.
"Although 60 percent of the households have reached the standard
of xiaokang, half of them do not progress beyond the initial
stages," the survey said, concluding that a large and well-formed
middle class in Sichuan was still some way off.
"There are great gaps among the four groups in terms of income
sources, household income, expenditure and property.
"More attention should be paid to the widening income gap in
order to establish a harmonious society," the report said.
The report said that both lower and middle-income households
spend about 58 percent of their income on food and clothing.
It attributed their similar consumption patterns to a lack of
job stability, an incomplete social welfare system and savings for
education, medical treatment and housing.
(China Daily December 18, 2007)