Prosperity, social order still key issues: survey (02/27/2003)

Prosperity and social order remain the two issues Chinese people care most about, according to a new survey.

The Q&A survey was conducted by Yangcheng Evening News and involved 425 valid replies by Guangzhou residents. Asked what was uppermost on their minds, a majority replied: "building a well-off society" and "maintaining social order".

The poll was conducted prior to the forthcoming National People's Congress (NPC) and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) annual sessions.

A further breakdown of the results shows demographic discrepancies which correspond to the respondents' occupations and social standings.

The top three concerns for public officials were political democracy, social order and government institutional reform.

"How to put power under check and balance is the key to fighting corruption," a respondent named Wei wrote in the answer sheet.

Ms Zhang, who works in the provincial government, expresses her emphasis on the importance of social order. "Who will have the heart to create wealth if he has to worry about his life and property or his wallet being stolen on the street?"

White-collar workers care more about building a well-off society, political democracy and economic development, according to the survey.

"The NPC and CPPCC sessions will hopefully further improve our political system so that people will have a stronger sense of participation in the country's affairs," says one respondent. This group of respondents were also keen on "expanding the state sector and encouraging the non-state sector".

Blue-collar workers list "building a well-off society", "increasing job opportunities" and "a social security system" as their top concerns.

"Only when the new administration leads us into more prosperity will we edge closer towards a well-off society," wrote a respondent named Ding.

People in this social stratum think a lot about the security of their jobs. Most of them hope that the government will create more jobs. And, understandably, the lower the income, the more they worry about a sound social security net.

A taxi driver named Lin suggested that delegates to NPC and CPPCC focus more on the needs of low-income workers. "A network that encompasses all the people can be a strong backup force for further reform," he said.

The survey classified college students as a separate group. The result showed their concerns closely correlate to their unique positions in society but also had overlaps.

"Building a well-off society", "expanding job opportunities" and "unification of the motherland as well as science and education" were high on their list.

"Education is the driving engine for sustainable economic growth," said Fang Nan, a student from Jinan University. "The new administration should have concrete plans to enable more people to have college education," said Lai Minggao of South-China University of Technology.
In related news, an online poll on people.com.cn, in which 200,000 people took part, showed that "fighting corruption", "legal reform" and "perfecting a democratic system" were the top three priorities.

Other concerns included ''creation of more jobs'', ''developing rural economy'' and ''beefing up workplace safety''.

(China Daily)