Chinese Household Income Project, 2002

Principal Investigator(s): Shi, Li

Summary:

The purpose of this project was to measure and estimate the distribution of personal income and related economic factors in both rural and urban areas of the People's Republic of China. The principal investigators based their definition of income on cash payments and on a broad range of additional components. Data were collected through a series of questionnaire-based interviews conducted in rural and urban areas at the end of 2002. There are ten separate datasets. The first four datasets were derived from the urban questionnaire. The first contains data about individuals living in urban areas. The second contains data about urban households. The third contains individual-level economic variables copied from the initial urban interview form. The fourth contains household-level economic variables copied from the initial urban interview form. The fifth dataset contains village-level data, which was obtained by interviewing village leaders. The sixth contains data about individuals living in rural areas. The seventh contains data about rural households, as well as most of the data from a social network questionnaire which was presented to rural households. The eighth contains the rest of the data from the social network questionnaire and is specifically about the activities of rural school-age children. The ninth dataset contains data about individuals who have migrated from rural to urban areas, and the tenth dataset contains data about rural-urban migrant households. Dataset 1 contains 151 variables and 20,632 cases (individual urban household members). Dataset 2 contains 88 variables and 6,835 cases (urban households). Dataset 3 contains 44 variables and 27,818 cases, at least 6,835 of which are empty cases used to separate households in the file. The remaining cases from dataset 3 match those in dataset 1. Dataset 4 contains 212 variables and 6,835 cases, which match those in dataset 2. Dataset 5 contains 259 variables and 961 cases (villages). Dataset 6 contains 84 variables and 37,969 cases (individual rural household members). Dataset 7 contains 449 variables and 9,200 cases (rural households). Dataset 8 contains 38 variables and 8,121 cases (individual school-age children). Dataset 9 contains 76 variables and 5,327 cases (individual rural-urban migrant household members). Dataset 10 contains 129 variables and 2,000 cases (rural-urban migrant households).

Datasets including ten parts:

1.       Urban Individual Income, Consumption, and Employment Data

2.       Urban Household Income, Consumption, and Employment Data

3.       Urban Individual Annual Income Data (Survey Appendix)

4.       Urban Household Assets, Expenditure, Income, and Conditions Data (Survey Appendix)

5.       Village Administrative Data

6.       Rural Individual Income, Consumption, and Employment Data

7.       Rural Household Income, Consumption, Employment, Social Network, Quality of Life, and Village Affairs Data

8.       Rural School-Age Children Data

9.       Rural-Urban Migrant Individual Data

10.   Rural-Urban Migrant Household Data

Scope of Study

Subject Terms:   aging, agrarian reform, alimony, children, Communist Party, communities, community decision making, community development, community leaders, community organizations, consumption, crop income, crop production, demographic characteristics, disposable income, durable goods, economic behavior, education, education costs, educational background, employment, families, family businesses, farm families, farm workers, farming communities, financial assets, food costs, health care access, health care costs, household appliances, household budgets, household expenditures, household income, income, income tax, job training, labor force, land ownership, life satisfaction, living conditions, local government, migrant workers, nondurable goods, occupational mobility, parents, part-time employment, pensions, population migration, property, retirement, rural areas, rural migration, savings, school age children, school attendance, social networks, standard of living, unemployment, urban areas, urban migration, urban planning, welfare services, workers

Smallest Geographic Unit:   village

Geographic Coverage:   China (Peoples Republic), Global

Time Period: 

2002

Date of Collection:  

2002

Unit of Observation:   individual, household, village

Universe:   Resident population of the People's Republic of China

Data Types:   administrative records data, survey data

Data Collection Notes:

The Chinese Household Income Project is a joint research effort sponsored by the Institute of Economics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Asian Development Bank, and the Ford Foundation. Additional support was provided by the East Asian Institute, Columbia University.

Methodology

Study Purpose:   The purpose of this project was to measure and estimate the distribution of personal income in both rural and urban areas of the People's Republic of China.

Study Design:   The study was interview-based. Five main questionnaire forms (Urban, Rural, Rural Migrant, Social Network, and Village) were filled in by interviewers at the various locations, based on questions asked of respondents. Individuals were not all interviewed directly; household members were allowed to answer questions on behalf of other members. In addition, interviewers made some direct observations about the households. Respondents in datasets 1-4 and 6-10 were members and heads of households. In dataset 5, respondents were village representatives: for each village, interviewers asked questions of the party branch secretary, the head of the village committee, or the village accountant. Village authorities were encouraged to use existing statistical data where it was available.

Mode of Data Collection:   coded on-site observation, face-to-face interview

Description of Variables:   All datasets contain a wide range of demographic and economic variables, including income, assets, liabilities, and expenditures. Cases are coded such that individuals can be linked to the information about their households and villages in other datasets. Datasets about individuals (datasets 1, 6, and 9) all include demographic variables such as household composition, gender, age, nationality, marital status, party membership, educational history, and health information. Dataset 1 is about individuals living in urban areas. It contains standard demographic variables as well as economic variables such as medical insurance and expenditures, economically productive social contacts, and employment information including occupation, sector, income, hours, conditions, job history, and training. Dataset 2 is about households in urban areas. It contains variables about household assets, liabilities, and expenditures, including loans, investments, durable goods (appliances), land and buildings, and minimum living expenses. It also includes attitudinal variables about income inequality, living standards, social problems, and life satisfaction, and demographic variables about the parents of the heads of households. Dataset 3 includes individual-level economic variables copied from the survey into tables. It contains basic demographic variables as well as all forms of personal income variables. Dataset 4 includes household-level economic variables copied from the survey into tables. It contains information about assets and income, communication channels like telephones and the Internet, and household expenditures such as water, fuel, food, clothing, health care, alimony, education, insurance, loans, and taxes. Dataset 5 focuses on entire villages. It includes basic geographic information, variables about arable land, agricultural activities, and infrastructure (roads, electricity, telephones, schools, and medical clinics), variables about collectives (TVEs), enterprise, the labor force, income, and productivity. Population variables include the presence of elites and ethnic minorities as well as migration patterns. Other variables include land management policies and history, government, budgets, taxes, public services, and local elections, as well as variables about the education, age, experience, and opinions of government officials. Dataset 6 focuses on individuals living in rural areas. Along with standard demographic variables it includes economic variables such as work history, economically productive social contacts, agricultural activities, and other employment information including occupation, sector, income, hours, conditions, job history, and training. Dataset 7 focuses on households and social networks in rural areas. It includes basic household variables such as property value, ownership, and land area, and demographic information about the parents of household heads. It also includes economic variables such as income and sources of income, production costs, expenditures (food, fuel, clothing, transportation, health care, education etc.), loans, minimum living expenses, business, and taxes. Variables about land use are included, as well as variables about assets such as livestock, farm equipment, construction equipment, appliances, and food production (rice, corn, tubers, meat, etc.). Also included are variables about social networks, such as the frequency of mutual help, information exchange, and lending, variables about public services such as irrigation, pest control, education, and medical services, and attitudinal variables about social problems, income inequality, government responsibility, life satisfaction, health, mood, social class, savings, aging, etc. Dataset 8 focuses on rural school-age children. It includes variables about education choices and costs, as well as other activities like work. Dataset 9 focuses on individuals who have migrated from rural to urban areas. It contains standard demographic variables as well as economic variables such as medical insurance and expenditures, economically productive social contacts, and employment information (including occupation, sector, income, hours, conditions, job history, and training). It also includes variables about migration and personal expenditures. Dataset 10 focuses on households which have migrated from rural to urban areas. It includes economic variables such as assets (appliances, other property), debts, expenditures (food, clothing, etc.), house conditions, income, and economically productive social contacts. It also includes attitudinal variables about social problems, the comparative treatment of rural and urban workers, life satisfaction, and demographic information about the parents of heads of households.

Data List