Middle class have biggest smiles
By Wu Jiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-10-18 11:01
Having more money in your pocket doesn't necessarily make you
happier.
 A happiness index of Beijing residents believed to be China's first
such poll has revealed that despite income contributing to happiness,
people in the middle-income band are among the city's most
content.
According to the index, released by the city's statistics
bureau, 83 per cent of those who earn around 6,000 yuan (US$750) per month are
happy with their lives.
Meanwhile only 70 per cent of those earning
between 10,000 (US$1,250) and 15,000 (US$1,875) yuan per month are happy
the same as those who earn between 1,000 and 1,500 yuan per
month.
According to bureau spokeswoman Yu Xiuqin, compared with the
middle-income group, people who earn larger sums feel under pressure to keep up
with their well-off friends, and tend to get anxious about their
ambitions.
Aside from the middle-income bubble the overall trend of the
index is that happiness grows with income, said Yu.
The average per
capita income for residents in Beijing has frozen at 1,669 yuan (US$209) per
month, yet the city's cost of living ranks as one of the highest in the country,
according to the latest data.
The happiness index is the first of its
kind after the National Bureau of Statistics was called on to introduce a rating
of people's satisfaction levels, as part of the ongoing effort to evaluate
social and economic development.
Starting from July, the bureau carried
out phone interviews with people aged between 18 and 70 in Beijing's 18
districts and counties. They collected results from a total of 7,118
citizens.
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