South China Daily recently conducted a questionnaire survey about the pressures of the office workers. Ninety-seven percent of 5,000 responders said they were under pressure, of which 30 percent complained the pressure was unendurable.

However, the result also showed something on the bright side. More than 80 percent of the responders said that pressure would not be a serious problem. "It is one's attitude toward it that counts," claimed one responder.

Most of the 5,000 responders live in Shenzhen, 45 percent of whom have worked for less than 3 years. About 50 percent  of the responders work in privately owned enterprises. Thirty-four percent of them have a monthly income of less than 2,000 yuan. Twenty-four percent of them earn 2,000 to 3,000 yuan per month. The monthly salary of 26 percent of them is over 3,000 yuan but less than 5,000 yuan. Only 16 percent of the responders could get more than 5,000 yuan per month.

Most of the complainers gave no thought to where the pressure came at all. The survey showed that housing, education and medical care were the principal sources of the financial pressures. Worries about their future pressed 31 percent of the office workers very hard. Neglect by their bosses put 16 percent of the responders under very heavy pressure.

(China News Service July 12, 2006)