A majority of Chinese youth are keen on having a car of their own which they think is a reflection of their social status。
A nation-wide survey conducted by China Youth Daily found more than a half of the respondents are planning to buy cars very soon。
The survey polled 1,541 respondents, 40 percent of whom were from small and medium-sized cities, and 43 percent were from provincial capitals. Of the respondents, 60 percent said they were planning to buy a car during the next five years, while 16 percent already had one. Only 21 percent ruled out buying a car。
Many respondents wanted to buy cars out of peer pressure and associated cars with their social status. A professor in psychology in Fudan University said: "More and more people tend to use cars as show-off to satisfy their spiritual emptiness."
However, a few respondents considered the "convenience" of having a car as the main reason for wanting to own one。
Ma Liwei, a graduate student of Tsinghua University, bought a car a month ago. "The outreach of buses and subways is still limited, but with a car, I can go everywhere. Besides, driving saves time and effort compared to catching public transport," he said。