A survey involving 690,000 Web users shows their top three concerns were social security, corruption in government and the widening income gap in China, according to survey results published by people.com.cn on Thursday.

Some 98 percent of respondents chose the income gap as one of their top 10 most serious concerns, up from 86.4 percent of respondents last year. Thirty percent of respondents worry their salaries won't keep up with GDP growth rate. Twenty-five percent of respondents believe that there is a large amount of hidden, unreported income, and 22 percent said the incomes of people working for monopoly industries are too high. Some 18 percent said some industries receive too many subsidies.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents say the most effective way of reducing the income gap would be to raise salary standards and establish a mechanism for regular pay increases.

About 22 percent thought the most effective way to reduce the income gap was to investigate and punish those who are guilty of corruption.

More than 60 percent of respondents want to join a pension plan and about 10 percent want to see the salaries of employees of government organizations and monopoly industries lowered. More than 27 percent said they hope the monopolies will be broken up.

Over 40 percent of respondents chose regulating subsidies given to government employees to prevent them from receiving hidden income.

"Income distribution is the greatest concern of the working class. Income inequality can lead to many serious social problems," a Web users wrote, according to people.com.cn.

The respondent said he hopes the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which hold their annual sessions next month, will strengthen reforms on income distribution.

Global Times