BEIJING - China's young farmer-turned workers start their first urban jobs when they are around 20 years old, some six years earlier than their parents' generation, according to a recent survey conducted by the Fortnightly Review magazine.

The magazine surveyed a total of 2,278 farmer-turned workers aged between 16 and 35 who migrated to cities for work from their rural hometowns in 29 provincial-level regions.

Over 60 percent of the respondents expressed willingness to continue to work outside rather than work in agriculture at home, according to the survey.

Asked about what factors most affected their pursuit of a dignified life in cities as migrant workers, 39.8 percent of the respondents listed "work conditions and job prospects" as their primary concern.

It was followed by three other options, namely the status of being accepted into or involved in urban life, the realization of their legitimate rights in accessing public services, and family and friendship links.

Explaining the results, Xu Xiaodan, head of the opinion research center of the Fortnightly Review magazine, said young migrant workers are shifting their goal to the pursuit of a happy life from just seeking higher living standards.

Xu said different from their parent's generation, the young farmer-turned workers want to be more involved in urban life, and even to establish their family and have their children educated in cities.

Migrant workers have become the backbone of China's industrial workers. Official figures show that China had a total of 153 million farmer-turned workers who worked in cities away from their rural homes in 2010.