Despite decades of economic growth and rising incomes, Chinese people are not happy. This was revealed in the latest survey by Gallup and Healthways. The two companies released their annual Global Well-Being Index on September 16, which offered a glimpse into the spirits of the Chinese.
The index ranks a country according to its people's level of satisfaction with daily life, relationships, financial conditions, community and health. China ranked 90th out of 135 countries and regions surveyed.
According to the survey, only 9 percent of Chinese respondents said they like what they do and feel motivated every day, in contrast to twice as many, or 18 percent, globally. When it comes to whether they like where they live, only 16 percent of the Chinese questioned expressed satisfaction, far below the regional average for Asia, 25 percent. In terms of financial security, 25 percent regarded themselves as thriving. This is on a par with regional and global averages. However, rural Chinese who are not satisfied with their financial conditions number nearly twice as many as their urban counterparts in the survey.
Taking a closer look into Chinese society, we can discern why China ranks poorly on these indicators.
Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness. China now is the second-largest economy in the world. Although the country has become wealthier and the material life of the public has been greatly boosted compared to decades ago, the happiness of the people is less certain.
In a period of social transition, varied conflicts accumulated over the past decades of change have broken out. There is widespread anger and despair over a number of problems such as inequality, income gap, corruption, pollution and food safety, among others.
At the same time, with their increasing incomes, the public puts higher expectations on their quality of life. They also tend to compare themselves with those surrounding them. When their demands cannot be satisfied, or they feel they are lower than others on the social or income ladder, their sense of happiness is damaged.
In the process of development, policies designed to raise the general level of happiness shouldn't only be confined to economic growth, but should pay heed to the balance between economic growth and social welfare.
China has been making efforts to crack down on corruption, narrow the wealth gap and deal with other public demands. These campaigns need the public's support.
Chinese people should face up to current social contradictions and difficulties positively and have patience in the country to make further progress. After all, happiness is not only related to national development, but also to personal attitude.