A SURVEY on what Chinese men and women worry about these days has revealed a gender divide with male respondents reportedly worrying about not having enough money while females saying they fret about aging.
Twenty million Internet users responded to the survey on the Chinese search engine Baidu, which found that careers, relationships and even the status of privacy in the digital age were among the top concerns.
Nearly 2.9 million men reported that their top concern was not having enough money, while more than 2.7 million women said they were worried about getting old.
Chen Qingliang, a migrant worker born in the 1980s, has been working in east China's Hefei City for more than six years. He said he was unlikely to receive a promotion or a raise, saying his top concern was money.
"In China, men have (traditionally) been a family's breadwinner, so the most worrisome thing for me is running out of money, especially considering the current price hikes," Chen said.
"It is widely accepted that wealth means success for Chinese men," he added.
Besides financial concerns, men also worry about failing in their careers, losing face in front of others and picking the wrong side in office politics.
Zheng Lei, a journalist working in Beijing, was surprised that health was not among men's top worry.
"I'm not afraid of being poor, although I want to be rich, too. I'm more concerned about health," said Zheng, adding that his career gave him a lot of stress.
The survey also revealed that women gave more attention to relationships than men. Married women worried about their husbands' infidelities, while unmarried women feared about being single all their lives.
Fears of ghosts and a lack of a sense of security were among women's top 10 fears, but, unlike men, they were not concerned about not having enough money.
Some netizens have cast doubts on whether the survey was accurate, as the respondents, all young netizens, may not have taken it seriously and that it did not represent the majority of Chinese people.
But most netizens agreed that Internet survey was more convincing than those obtained through in-person questionnaires or telephone interviews as respondents were more likely to tell the truth online.
Zhang Zhi'an, a professor in new media at the Sun Yat-sen University, said the results showed the anxiety many young Chinese.
"Most young people are in the lower levels of society, and the lists reflect their anxiety over a society full of fierce competition," said Zhang.
Wang Kaiyu, a famous sociologist in Anhui Province, said the fears were all related to daily life. "We can see that young Chinese just want a happy family and to live with dignity. It has always been their dream as well as the target of the government."
Twenty million Internet users responded to the survey on the Chinese search engine Baidu, which found that careers, relationships and even the status of privacy in the digital age were among the top concerns.
Nearly 2.9 million men reported that their top concern was not having enough money, while more than 2.7 million women said they were worried about getting old.
Chen Qingliang, a migrant worker born in the 1980s, has been working in east China's Hefei City for more than six years. He said he was unlikely to receive a promotion or a raise, saying his top concern was money.
"In China, men have (traditionally) been a family's breadwinner, so the most worrisome thing for me is running out of money, especially considering the current price hikes," Chen said.
"It is widely accepted that wealth means success for Chinese men," he added.
Besides financial concerns, men also worry about failing in their careers, losing face in front of others and picking the wrong side in office politics.
Zheng Lei, a journalist working in Beijing, was surprised that health was not among men's top worry.
"I'm not afraid of being poor, although I want to be rich, too. I'm more concerned about health," said Zheng, adding that his career gave him a lot of stress.
The survey also revealed that women gave more attention to relationships than men. Married women worried about their husbands' infidelities, while unmarried women feared about being single all their lives.
Fears of ghosts and a lack of a sense of security were among women's top 10 fears, but, unlike men, they were not concerned about not having enough money.
Some netizens have cast doubts on whether the survey was accurate, as the respondents, all young netizens, may not have taken it seriously and that it did not represent the majority of Chinese people.
But most netizens agreed that Internet survey was more convincing than those obtained through in-person questionnaires or telephone interviews as respondents were more likely to tell the truth online.
Zhang Zhi'an, a professor in new media at the Sun Yat-sen University, said the results showed the anxiety many young Chinese.
"Most young people are in the lower levels of society, and the lists reflect their anxiety over a society full of fierce competition," said Zhang.
Wang Kaiyu, a famous sociologist in Anhui Province, said the fears were all related to daily life. "We can see that young Chinese just want a happy family and to live with dignity. It has always been their dream as well as the target of the government."
