Survey shows Chinese workers stressed out

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Nearly eight out of 10 Chinese workers became more stressed in the past year, a new survey has found.

The survey by Regus, a global workplace-solutions provider, recently polled more than 16,000 workers in 80 countries.

Seventy-five percent of Chinese workers polled said that their stress levels had risen in the past year, according to the survey.

It found that 48 percent of workers globally felt growing pressure in the past year.

The smallest increases in stress worldwide were in Australia and the Netherlands, where just 38 percent and 40 percent of workers said they had experienced more stress.

Chinese workers' stress comes mainly from work, individual financial status and clients, the survey found.

In China, workers in Shanghai and Beijing felt the highest rise in stress in the past year, it said.

In Shanghai, 80 percent of workers said their stress levels rose. In Beijing, the figure is 67 percent.

Wang Fang, 34, works at a Beijing-based media organization.

"My husband and I have just bought a new apartment, and we have almost exhausted the money we have at hand for decoration, which cost about 200,000 yuan ($32,000). We will begin to pay back the housing loan next year, which is estimated to be around 10,000 yuan per month," she said.

Wang said her stress is increasing because her husband just quit his job and started his own business.

A recent survey by Insight China, a State-run magazine that looks into Chinese people's welfare, showed that nearly 70 percent of Chinese are overworked and more than 40 percent spend less than 10 hours a week on leisure.

Wei Xiang, an expert in leisure economy at Beijing International Studies University, said China's current economic development stage as a labor-intensive economy has made most Chinese people want to earn money instead of take leisure time.

Xia Xueluan, a sociologist at Peking University, said Chinese people, especially young workers, always consider how to acquire material resources as quickly as possible as the country rapidly develops.

"A booming desire for material wealth easily transfers into stress," he said.

At a young age, Chinese are educated by teachers and parents to strive to do better than others in academic study or work, he said: "Pressure is unavoidable if one lives in such an environment," he said.

The per capita income of Chinese people is still comparatively low, and the country's social security system is yet to efficiently cover all citizens, Xia said.

Li Juan, an expert at the institute of psychology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said stress can lead to both physical and psychological problems such as sleeplessness, anorexia and depression.

To help relieve pressure, Li suggests spending more time on outdoor activities and improving work efficiency.

Visiting a psychiatrist is also a good way to free yourself from stress, Li said.

Questions:

1. What percentage of Chinese workers felt more stress in the past year?

2. Where did the figures come from？

3. What was the figure globally?

Answers:

1. 75%.

2. A survey of more than 16,000 workers in 80 countries.

3. 48% felt growing pressure in the past year.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.