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Criteria for dividing the middle class
There are usually two criteria for dividing the middle class, one is occupation, and the other is per capita or family income. It is controversial to distinguish the middle class by occupation. As for the staff of state organs, it is obviously difficult to compare the directors and directors with ordinary clerks and clerks. I am afraid that the income and social status gap between the staff of "important" organs such as the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Tax Bureau and those of "ordinary" organs such as the Seismological Bureau, the Archives Bureau and the Bureau of Retired Veteran Cadres is also different. As IT technicians, some people may live in villas and drive foreign cars, while others can only eat instant noodles every day to squeeze into public cars. More people, including economists, tend to take income as the only or main criterion for dividing the middle class. But even if everyone distinguishes who is middle class and who is not, there are still many uncertainties and quantitative confusion. For example, in the United States, some people think that people with an average annual income of $30,000 to $/kloc-0,000 belong to the middle class. By this standard, more than 95% of the people in the United States should belong to the middle class. Others believe that the average annual income of middle-class people in the United States should be between $25,000 and10,000, and anyone with an average annual income in this range can be regarded as middle class. By this standard, the American middle class accounts for about 80% of the total population.
In the United States, which is known as the base camp of the middle class, the criteria for distinguishing the middle class are still so confusing, not to mention other parts of the world. Take India as an example. According to India's Policy Research Center, there are about 300 million middle class people in India. India's "National Council for Applied Economic Research" is the maker and publisher of Indian middle class standards. The Indian middle class standards issued by it are: all families with an annual after-tax income of 33,750 rupees to150,000 rupees (about 700-3,000 US dollars, and the current exchange rate of US dollars to rupees is about 1∶48.5) can be regarded as middle class families. According to this calculation, in 200 1 year, 60 million families in India have become middle-class families. In terms of a family of five, there are currently 300 million middle class people in India.
From this point of view, a country's middle class can have as many as you say, because there is no unified standard and it is very arbitrary. According to the Indian middle-class standard, if the average annual income of households is 700 dollars, it can be regarded as a middle-class family. According to the current foreign exchange rate in China, 700 dollars is equivalent to about 6,000 yuan, which is only about 1200 yuan RMB per year, with an average of 100 RMB per person per month. At this level of income, I'm afraid it's even a problem to get enough to eat in many places in China, not to mention "middle class" or "middle class". When the US Department of Commerce announced that India is one of the top ten emerging markets in the world, it said that the current middle class in India has reached about175 million people (almost half less than the estimate of relevant Indian institutions). In the future, each of these Indian middle classes will have to buy at least one TV set, a tape recorder, a pressure cooker, a ceiling fan, a bicycle and a watch. Two-thirds of them also need to buy a moped, a color TV, an electric iron, a food blender and a sewing machine; Less than half of people want to buy a refrigerator ... "What a big consumer market this will be!" To others, this is more like American black humor.
In addition, figures show that more than 90% of Singapore's 3 million people belong to the middle class, and the average annual income of Singaporean families is generally above $20,000; South Korea's per capita annual income is about 1 10,000 dollars, which can be regarded as the middle class. However, in South Korea, many people don't have houses, and the per capita debt of Korean workers is more than 1 10,000 dollars. Malaysia itself estimates that the middle class in Malaysia accounts for about 60% of the total population, about 1 8 million people, and the per capita annual income of these people is about110,000 US dollars. It can be seen that the standards are different.
For comparison, in 200 1 year, American research consulting company conducted a survey on the living expenses of the middle class, and compared the living indexes of 22 cities around the world based on the living expenses of a three-person American family with an annual salary of $ kloc-0/00000. A Detroit family of three people in the United States has an annual income of $100000 and a per capita income of more than $33000. This income level is only the starting level of a middle class in the United States, that is to say, it can only be regarded as a lower middle class in the United States at most, but to reach the living standard of a lower middle class family in Detroit in the United States in Beijing, it needs HK$ 780,000 a year, which is about RMB 800,000. This is a number that many families in China never dreamed of. It can be seen that he is also a middle class, and this is also a middle class. His middle class cannot be compared with this middle class. Therefore, many scholars, including Qing Lianbin, a professor at the Central Party School, believe that there is no so-called middle class in China at this stage. The current situation in China is that there is a middle class but no "class". Other scholars disagree about the standards of the middle class in China. Some scholars argue that people with an average annual income of 1 10,000 to 40,000 RMB in China can be classified as middle class. The average annual income is 1 10,000 yuan, which is barely enough to make ends meet in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. It is impossible to buy a house or a car, and owning a private house and a car are two hard indicators for the middle class. With the current housing price level in Beijing, the annual income is 1 10,000 yuan. It will take about 50 years to buy a house with a building area of about 100 square meters next to the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing without eating or drinking. It is confirmed that a country's middle class standard cannot be divorced from the actual development level of the country, but it cannot be arbitrarily raised or lowered in order to obtain a better external image or to please the leaders. In the past 20 years, China has made great progress in economy and social culture, but it is still at a relatively backward level in the world as a whole. According to the research of foreign institutions, until 2000, China's per capita GNP was less than 3/5 of the world average, only 14% of the world's high-income countries. According to the actual level of economic, social and cultural development in China, some experts believe that a more reasonable definition of the domestic middle class should be that the per capita annual income is about 1 10,000 to 50,000 US dollars, that is, about 80,000 to 400,000 RMB. Only with this level of income can the middle class in China have "corresponding household consumption power", pursue a certain "quality of life" and meet the rigid or soft definitions of the middle class. Otherwise, the middle class can only be another synonym for "poverty alleviation" or "adequate food and clothing".
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Criteria for dividing the middle class
There are usually two criteria for dividing the middle class, one is occupation, and the other is per capita or family income. It is controversial to distinguish the middle class by occupation. As for the staff of state organs, it is obviously difficult to compare the directors and directors with ordinary clerks and clerks. I am afraid that the income and social status gap between the staff of "important" organs such as the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and the Tax Bureau and those of "ordinary" organs such as the Seismological Bureau, the Archives Bureau and the Bureau of Retired Veteran Cadres is also different. As IT technicians, some people may live in villas and drive foreign cars, while others can only eat instant noodles every day to squeeze into public cars. More people, including economists, tend to take income as the only or main criterion for dividing the middle class. But even if everyone distinguishes who is middle class and who is not, there are still many uncertainties and quantitative confusion. For example, in the United States, some people think that people with an average annual income of $30,000 to $/kloc-0,000 belong to the middle class. By this standard, more than 95% of the people in the United States should belong to the middle class. Others believe that the average annual income of middle-class people in the United States should be between $25,000 and10,000, and anyone with an average annual income in this range can be regarded as middle class. By this standard, the American middle class accounts for about 80% of the total population.
In the United States, which is known as the base camp of the middle class, the criteria for distinguishing the middle class are still so confusing, not to mention other parts of the world. Take India as an example. According to India's Policy Research Center, there are about 300 million middle class people in India. India's "National Council for Applied Economic Research" is the maker and publisher of Indian middle class standards. The Indian middle class standards issued by it are: all families with an annual after-tax income of 33,750 rupees to150,000 rupees (about 700-3,000 US dollars, and the current exchange rate of US dollars to rupees is about 1∶48.5) can be regarded as middle class families. According to this calculation, in 200 1 year, 60 million families in India have become middle-class families. In terms of a family of five, there are currently 300 million middle class people in India.
From this point of view, a country's middle class can have as many as you say, because there is no unified standard and it is very arbitrary. According to the Indian middle-class standard, if the average annual income of households is 700 dollars, it can be regarded as a middle-class family. According to the current foreign exchange rate in China, 700 dollars is equivalent to about 6,000 yuan, which is only about 1200 yuan RMB per year, with an average of 100 RMB per person per month. At this level of income, I'm afraid it's even a problem to get enough to eat in many places in China, not to mention "middle class" or "middle class". When the US Department of Commerce announced that India is one of the top ten emerging markets in the world, it said that the current middle class in India has reached about175 million people (almost half less than the estimate of relevant Indian institutions). In the future, each of these Indian middle classes will have to buy at least one TV set, a tape recorder, a pressure cooker, a ceiling fan, a bicycle and a watch. Two-thirds of them also need to buy a moped, a color TV, an electric iron, a food blender and a sewing machine; Less than half of people want to buy a refrigerator ... "What a big consumer market this will be!" To others, this is more like American black humor.
In addition, figures show that more than 90% of Singapore's 3 million people belong to the middle class, and the average annual income of Singaporean families is generally above $20,000; South Korea's per capita annual income is about 1 10,000 dollars, which can be regarded as the middle class. However, in South Korea, many people don't have houses, and the per capita debt of Korean workers is more than 1 10,000 dollars. Malaysia itself estimates that the middle class in Malaysia accounts for about 60% of the total population, about 1 8 million people, and the per capita annual income of these people is about110,000 US dollars. It can be seen that the standards are different.
For comparison, in 200 1 year, American research consulting company conducted a survey on the living expenses of the middle class, and compared the living indexes of 22 cities around the world based on the living expenses of a three-person American family with an annual salary of $ kloc-0/00000. A Detroit family of three people in the United States has an annual income of $100000 and a per capita income of more than $33000. This income level is only the starting level of a middle class in the United States, that is to say, it can only be regarded as a lower middle class in the United States at most, but to reach the living standard of a lower middle class family in Detroit in the United States in Beijing, it needs HK$ 780,000 a year, which is about RMB 800,000. This is a number that many families in China never dreamed of. It can be seen that he is also a middle class, and this is also a middle class. His middle class cannot be compared with this middle class. Therefore, many scholars, including Qing Lianbin, a professor at the Central Party School, believe that there is no so-called middle class in China at this stage. The current situation in China is that there is a middle class but no "class". Other scholars disagree about the standards of the middle class in China. Some scholars argue that people with an average annual income of 1 10,000 to 40,000 RMB in China can be classified as middle class. The average annual income is 1 10,000 yuan, which is barely enough to make ends meet in cities like Beijing and Shanghai. It is impossible to buy a house or a car, and owning a private house and a car are two hard indicators for the middle class. With the current housing price level in Beijing, the annual income is 1 10,000 yuan. It will take about 50 years to buy a house with a building area of about 100 square meters next to the Fourth Ring Road in Beijing without eating or drinking. It is confirmed that a country's middle class standard cannot be divorced from the actual development level of the country, but it cannot be arbitrarily raised or lowered in order to obtain a better external image or to please the leaders. In the past 20 years, China has made great progress in economy and social culture, but it is still at a relatively backward level in the world as a whole. According to the research of foreign institutions, until 2000, China's per capita GNP was less than 3/5 of the world average, only14% of the world's high-income countries. According to the actual level of economic, social and cultural development in China, some experts believe that a more reasonable definition of the domestic middle class should be that the per capita annual income is about 1 10,000 to 50,000 US dollars, that is, about 80,000 to 400,000 RMB. Only with this level of income can the middle class in China have "corresponding household consumption power", pursue a certain "quality of life" and meet the rigid or soft definitions of the middle class. Otherwise, the middle class can only be another synonym for "poverty alleviation" or "adequate food and clothing".