By Feng Wenmeng & Ge Yanfeng, Research Department of Social Development, DRC and Gan Li & He Qing, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics

Research Report, No.268, 2020 (Total 6012) 2020-11-10

Abstract: In February/March, May, and August/September of 2020, the Research Department of Social Development under the Development Research Center of the State Council joined Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in three longitudinal surveys on Chinese households’ income and expenses. It has been found that as the virus is contained effectively in China, the country’s economic activities have been entirely restored and Chinese households’ income has gradually improved. However, its performance still lags behind that of the same period last year, and different social groups enjoy varied improvements. Most of the surveyed households have negative expectations for their income this year. For a certain period in the future, China needs to stay alert to the price rise of daily necessities and further fall in residents’ purchasing power, and adopt more supportive polices for vulnerable groups. For the mid-and-long term, it is necessary to improve the social assistance system by providing more help to targeted recipients, in a bid to build up the social safety net.

Keywords: residents’ income, vulnerable groups, impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, consumption expectations