Livelihood issues are the most concerned and realistic interests of the public，which determines the public opinion，the social stability，justice，and harmony. Using the RDD sampling method，the Social Survey Center of the Public Opinion Research Laboratory in Shanghai Jiao Tong University investigated the basic livelihood problems of residents in our country. The results showed that nearly half of the respondents’ monthly incomes were between 1001-5000 yuan，furthermore，about half of the respondents’ food spending was within the range of 501 to 1500 yuan；over half of the respondents could afford the cost of education. Meanwhile，most respondents believed that their physical condition is good. The majority of the respondents’ medical expenses were less than 3000 yuan and over half of the respondents could afford their medical expenses. In addition，respondents’ housing situation was diversiform. For instance，rural residents mainly had a preference for building their own homes or renting houses，while nearly half of the urban residents bought commercial housing. For social security，95.4% of respondents purchased medical insurance and 76.5% of respondents purchased the pension insurances. More than 40% of the respondents believed that their living standards had raised compared with five years ago，however，more than 80% of the respondents believed that they are in the middle and lower levels of society. There were about 90% of the respondents thought their families to be harmonious. Respondents believed that the main source of life pressure was the inflation，followed by the family income，work pressure，and education costs. Nearly 70% of the respondents were satisfied with their work and income，and most of respondents （more than 70%） believed that they were respected by others.