Income surveys not always right

A recent study shows that to lead a decent life, people in first-tier cities like Beijing and Shanghai need to earn at least 9,000 yuan ($1,440) a month - the amount for people in second-tier cities has been pegged at about 5,000 yuan a month. Not surprisingly, the results of the survey have sparked a heated discussion among netizens, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:

The survey results, controversial as they are, were expected to spark debates, and they have. But are the survey results reliable?

To begin with, the surveyors have not revealed how they arrived at the conclusions and who are the people they surveyed. It is almost impossible for such surveys to arrive at accurate figures, because the living standards vary from person to person and different people need different amounts of money to lead a "decent" life in a city.

Official statistics show that last year the average annual salary of urban employees in Shanghai was 51,968 yuan ($8,315), which in monthly terms would be 4,331 yuan. That is less than half the amount recommended by the survey.

Many Shanghai residents who earn less than 9,000 yuan a month, but whose average income is among the highest in the country, should feel insecure if they believe in the survey. Thankfully, that has not happened.

But such data, even they are unconvincing, could force Chinese people to assume that the key to a happy life is high income, which is not true.

(China Daily 10/30/2012 page9)