The rising middle class in China: A case study of perceptions of their educated youths

This paper is a study of the perceptions of Chinese young adults on the rise of the middle class in China. We address four important questions: How do university students in China define middle class? How do they perceive the growth of the middle class in China?  How do they perceive their own future ability to be middle class? How do they see the impact of the rise of China’s middle class on contributing to future economic, political and social changes in China? We conducted a case study by distributing a 20 question survey to 97 Chinese undergraduate students in Shanghai. The results of our study reveal that Chinese students define the middle class by a combination of education and median income status. We found that their perceived attributes of the middle class rest on ownership of a home or apartment, having a secure job and having health insurance. They also believe that the keys to financial success in China are hard work and determination, family and friends connections, and education. The students have a very positive and optimistic view of the continuing rise of the middle class in China and they fully expect to be a part of it. They have definite life goals, including having a happy family life, maintaining good relationships with friends and learning and seeing more new things in their lives. They recognize that their opportunities for advancement are better than their parents’ were and they believe that they will have a higher standard of living than their parents have achieved. The students also perceive that a rising middle class in China will contribute to economic, social and political changes and that they will also be interested in gaining more political and civil rights.  The results from our survey are compared and contrasted to the findings of national surveys addressing similar questions. We believe that our study provides valuable insights into the viewpoints of the next generation of educated middle class youths in China and the possible impacts of the rise in the middle class on China’s society and culture.

Keywords:  youths’ perceptions; China’s middle class; attributes of middle class; economic, social and political changes