Kunming "Worries Index" Ranked No. 7 in the Country

Kunming "Worries Index" Ranked No. 7 in the Country

Editor: Xu Ting
Translated by: Ne7erwinter
Original Web Page: http://news.kunming.cn/km-news/content/2012-05/03/content_2938398.htm

Recently, the Social Research and Study Centre of Beijing University issued The 2012 Balance Index Study Report of China Employees. Among the average "Balance Index" of office workers in 28 major cities, Kunming was ranked No. 7.

Even white-collar workers are not without worry? As an average citizen of Kunming, do you have your own worries? Are the "3 Old Issues of Housing, Car and Money" bothering you? Let's hear it from fellow citizens and professionals.

Worry No. 1: Inflation; Harder to Find Vegetables at a Fair Price
Cucumber: 6 yuan, maize: 5 yuan, cabbage: 3.5 yuan... the vegetable prices in Kunming have gone up again! Prolonged bargaining with the vendor didn't work; nothing with a good price has been found even after picking through the whole marketplace. Many citizens complain about the inflated prices with no raise in salary to go with them. How am I supposed to make the choice!?

Tips:
According to figures published by the Kunming Survey Team of the National Statistics Bureau, the CPI (Consumer Price Index) of Kunming residents has increased by 0.7% compared to the previous month; with increased vegetable prices as the main factor. In March, compared to the previous month, the incremental percentage of fresh vegetable prices has reached as high as 18.1%. Compared to the previous month, the citizen consumer prices in The 8 Main Categories have exhibited a trend of “7-Up 1-Down” in March: apart from a decrease of 0.4% in the Apparel Category, an increasing trend has been found in all other 7 Categories.

Worry No. 2: Higher Bus Fee
In March, the media reported on the Specialised Bus Services in Kunming: some citizens opined that, the introduction of “Specialised Services” into the bus system - which is intended for convenient public transport - has damaged the interests of a majority of common consumers. As more Specialised Buses appear, a decrease of regular buses can be expected; resulting in the latter becoming even more crowded due to the comparatively lower cost. It was also pointed out in the report that a Specialised Bus does not offer much speciality and has a lower utilisation than regular ones.

Tips:
January 15th, Kunming Bus Group first opened 7 Specialised Bus Lines of No. 26, No. 54 and No. 98 etc.; March 5th, Kunming Bus Group again opened another 7 Specialised Bus Lines of No. 1, No. 52, No. 55, No. 62 and No. 69 etc. - By the end of March, a total of 24 Specialised Bus Lines have been newly introduced.

Worry No. 3: “Bei-increased” (or, “statistically increased”; i.e. without actual increase) Income and Lagging Behind
“After the ‘Bei-increase’, I made the dismal discovery that none of my hardworking family members has reached the Minimum Income Standard; what’s more, I never get any labour insurance.”, “I’m lagging behind so much, that I’m even pulling on the heels! (in Chinese, lagging behind literally translates as “pulling on the back leg”)” - Such are the comments from a web site regarding the published Average Annual Salary of Kunming Workers. Meanwhile, Gao Jun, President of the Social Research Institute of Kunming Social Science Academy, is of the opinion that many interviewees in the reports he’s read said their income was only around 2,000 yuan; some even with only about 1,000: the published figures were apparently bei-increased (had no credibility).

Tips:
The April-24 Issue of Kunming Daily reported that, according to figures provided by Kunming Statistics Bureau, the average annual salary of urban and rural workers in Kunming of 2011 was 41,640.00 yuan with a monthly average of 3,470.00 yuan.

The Professional: We are Still No Closer to “The Happy New Kunming”
Gao Jun opines that, our worries are closely related to everyday life; a ranking of No. 7 proves that there’s still a considerable gap between our degree of comfort and The Happy New Kunming. Apart from the 3 points mentioned above, the continuous severe drought of the past 3 years and decreased water resources bring our attention to the alarming fact that our environment has already been seriously damaged. Despite indication of decrease in consumer housing prices after national regulation, the application for Indemnificatory Housing still leaves much to be desired. The 100%-payment tends to place considerable pressure on the low-income group. Also, incompatibility issues between resource supply and market demands still exist in the sectors such as medical reform and education reform etc.

News Link: Office Workers in 28 Cities “Rather Worried”
The 2012 Balance Index Study Report of China Employees has covered 28 cities in China with 30,000 samples taken. Office workers from the 28 cities are mostly “rather worried” with an average “Balance Index” of 48.22; among these, Ningbo is the Happiest City with a Balance Index of 51.11 while Wuhan is the Most Worried City at 46.69. Kunming is ranked after Tianjin with a Balance Index of 47.28. The Balance Index represents the degree of balance (equilibrium) with a score between 0 - 100, with the greater degree of balance indicated by a higher score and vice versa (with 61.25 as a reference critical value).