Nearly 70 percent of farmers living in the suburbs of Shanghai municipality prefer to live in a city or township, according to the latest survey released by the Shanghai Municipal Statistics Bureau.

The survey was designed in accordance with Shanghai's new urbandevelopment strategy which aims to pull up its gross domestic product (GDP) by urbanizing the metropolis' suburbs.

According to the survey, approximately 70 percent of Shanghai farmers believe living in the downtown is more convenient for shopping, hospitalization, education and transportation. About 50 percent of the surveyed farmers hoped that the government could help them move to cities or townships.

Therefore, the survey is seen to show that the government's urbanization strategy is in compliance with the aspiration of local farmers.

However, about 80 percent of those surveyed still had some reservations about urban life, worrying that their daily expenses may increase and employment could not be guaranteed.

(People's Daily   Aug 14, 2003)