Good Magazine conducted a survey on city household life quality from July to October 2006. The returned valid questionnaires reached the number 1986. The survey was executed by Huakun Women’s Life Survey Center.

Ⅰ. General facts about the target group

1. Sample distributions

The samples were distributed in 16 big and mid-sized cities and they are Beijing，Shanghai，Guangzhou，Changsha，Chengdu，Dalian，Harbin，Hangzhou，Nanchang，Nanjing，Qingdao，Shenzhen，Suzhou，Wuxi，Xi’an and Xiamen.

2. Basic facts

1）Sex：24 per cent are male and 76 per cent are female.

2）Age：They are averaged at 34.

3）Education：48 per cent are BA holders，29.8 per cent are college graduates and 12.4 per cent are MA and above.

4）Professions：Mostly are administrators，managers，engineers，technicians，scientists，finance and insurance workers，public servants，and clerks. 24.4 per cent are from joint ventures，17.9 per cent state institutions，15 per cent state enterprises，12.3 per cent overseas enterprises，12.3 per cent private companies，and 11.6 per cent state departments.

5）Income：Average personal monthly income is 6156.45 yuan.

3. Family background

1）Marital status：78.4 per cent are married，11.8 per cent singles，and 6.3 per cent cohabit.

2）Spouse’s profession：Mostly are administrators，managers，public servants，finance and insurance workers，company clerks，engineers and technicians. They are from joint ventures （19.8 per cent），state enterprises （16.3 per cent），overseas companies （15.8 per cent），state institutions （14.1 per cent），state departments （12.8 per cent），private companies （11.7 per cent） and freelances （7 per cent）.

3）Household income：The average household monthly income is 13335.9 yuan.

Ⅱ. Households with medium or high income have four characters

On average the interviewed households have a monthly income of 13335.9 yuan，and individual income of 6156.45 yuan. They belong to China’s medium and high-income group. Their life is characterized by the following：

1. Equal pay for equal work

The husband and wife usually get equal pay for equal work. The interviewed women share surprisingly the same professional backgrounds with their spouses. Their family annual income reaches 160000 yuan on average，and each side almost contributes half to their family’s total income.

2. Assets management

On family assets management，42.2 per cent couples share the job，32.6 per cent wives manage their households’ assets，and 8.6 per cent couples adopt an AA system.

3. Good househusband

City husbands now do housework. 37.1 per cent couples share housework，11 per cent husbands do the job on their own. About 20 per cent families hire helpers to do the job.

4. Varied ways of life

Many families dine out. 16.6 per cent families dine out more than eating at home，35.1 per cent alternate home and restaurants，48.3 per cent dine mostly at home.

Ⅲ. Six highlights of household consumption

1. The wife decides daily consumption

The interviewed women make decisions on daily consumption items，cosmetics and clothing. Their spouses make decisions on home appliances and digital products. The couples share decision-making on items such as housing，cars and investment.

2. Credit card and online purchase

There are 43.6 per cent families using credit cards，and 13.9 per cent go online purchasing.

3. Loans

About half of the households have to pay back various loans including housing loans.

4. Financial investment

More than half of the households do have financial investment. 11.8 per cent use software to help，5.2 per cent hire financial advisors. 40 per cent choose various financial investment products while 30 per cent buy various insurance products.

5. Buy it for yourself

Women on average spend 1872.92 yuan a month for themselves. The most extravagant spends 50000 yuan.

6. Leisure spending

The interviewed households claim a third of their consumption is on leisure. 22.4 per cent spend 1.380 yuan a year on books，magazines and newspapers. 21.7 per cent spend 5747 yuan dining out. 17.6 per cent spend 4613 yuan on cultural and entertainment activities. On collection and body exercises，they spend annually 12927 yuan and 2707 yuan respectively.

Ⅳ. Four key words measuring life quality

1. Housing

On housing，58.6 per cent households are either dissatisfied or unhappy. On average，they own 1.25 unit. One of them owns 5 units. Their average housing floor space is 99.9 square meters with the biggest 800 square meters. The average individual living space is 40.1 square meters and the biggest 400 square meters. They hope their housing can expand to 157 square meters a family in the future.

On interior decorations，each household spends 45000 yuan on average. If calculated according to the average housing floor space of 99.9 square meters，the average money spent on interior decoration is 450 yuan a square meter.

2. Holiday

A third of the interviewed households choos