Life better for 32% of city families
12/1/2005 7:26
Shanghai Daily news
Nearly 32 percent of local
families say their lives are better now in comparison to five years ago,
according to a new survey.
In a poll of more than 3,000 urban families by the
Shanghai Statistics Bureau released yesterday, about 50 percent said life was
almost the same.
The survey covered such areas as residents' living
conditions in all aspects of housing, car ownership, income, travel and
education.
About 31 percent of the families said their housing had largely
improved over the past five years.
The survey found some 20 percent of
families owned two apartments or houses, 2 percent had three properties and 30
percent lived in rented flats.
"The construction of houses is getting better
in structure designs and affiliated facilities. This is a sign that local
families are not only improving their housing area, but their housing quality,"
said Fan Haiou, a bureau official who conducted the survey.
Elsewhere, car
ownership was 5.3 units out of every 100 families, with the families aged
between 30 and 39 owning the most. They, well-educated and with a handsome
income, owned 8.2 cars for every 100 families.
This group of people also
earned the most among those polled.
The survey revealed that about 11.8
percent of locals in their 30s earned 5,000 yuan (US$602) monthly, a figure
defined as high income by Fan in his report.
Education background was also a
key indicator of wealth accumulation.
Some 20 percent of those with a
bachelor's degree earned more than 5,000 yuan per month. About 40 percent with a
master's degree or higher earned the same. More than half with a middle school
education earned less than 1,000 yuan a month.
Nearly 30 percent of the
families traveled annually and 5.5 people out of the 3,000 families have been to
foreign countries for sightseeing, spending 10,409 yuan each.
|
