By Shan Dasheng, Research Team on “Survey on People’s Livelihood in China”, DRC

Research Report, No.95, 2021 (Total 6160) 2021-4-22

Abstract: The research findings made by research team on “Survey on People’s Livelihood in China” in 2020 show that the pandemic had a great impact on the income and consumption of some social groups in 2020. Among them, the impact on different social groups is different to varying degrees, but the consumption of households with different income is all affected to some extent. Many families spent less on food and the proportion of interviewees whose spends exceeded gains is slightly increased. At the same time, the government’s subsistence allowance has played an active role in ensuring the living standards of low-income families. The survey results also reveal that the majority of respondents are optimistic about their future income and expenditure in 2021. Income growth remains the most important livelihood issue for respondents, and food, education and medical care constitute the lion’s share in family expenditure. Income growth and consumption spending in the wake of the pandemic era are the major concern of the people and are related to the foundation for steady economic recovery. In a bid to focus on key issues and ensure people’s basic living standards, we need to promote the sustained and steady income growth of mid-to-low income earners; reasonably guide people’s expectations to unleash consumption potential; and maintain policy options to guard against risks.

Keywords: income, consumption, expectations on income and expenditure