我国中等收入群体比重及其特征

The Proportion and Characteristics of Middle Class Group in China

中文关键词:  中等收入群体  定义述评  界定标准  中等收入群体比重  特征

英文关键词:middle class group  definition review  defining criterion  proportion of middle class group  characteristics

中文摘要:

      中等收入群体的界定标准、规模和特征一直是学术界关注的焦点。在回顾和评述现有各种界定标准的基础上,建议采用全球所有国家收入中位数的67%~200%作为定义我国中等收入群体的上下限。研究发现,近些年我国中等收入群体比重在逐渐提高,从2002年的10%上升到2016年的28.9%,这主要源于我国居民整体收入水平的提高而不是收入分配格局的变化。要扩大我国中等收入群体比重,保持中高速增长至关重要,政策的重点是提“低”而不是限“高”,同时要防范现有的中等收入群体跌落为低收入群体。中等收入群体主要分布在城市地区,收入来源主要是工资性收入,储蓄率偏高,受教育水平明显高于低收入者和贫困人口。中等收入群体的标准下限附近分布着规模客观的低收入者,他们是扩大中等收入者比重的潜在来源,应是政策瞄准的主要对象。

英文摘要:

      The definition, scale and characteristics of middle class group have always been the focal subjects with widespread public debate. Based on reviewing the existing literature on the definition of middle class, we suggest that it might be better to define Chinese middle class using 67% to 200% of the median income of all countries in the world as the upper limit and lower limit. The research finds that, the proportion of Chinese middle class have been gradually increasing in recent years, from 10% in 2002 to 28.9% in 2016, which is mainly due to the income growth rather than the changes in income distribution. In order to increase the proportion of Chinese middle class, it is of vital importance to keep the middle and high growth rate. The policy should emphasize on the increase of low income instead of the restriction on high income. At the same time, we should avoid the middle class from falling into low income class. The middle class, mostly living in urban area, have their wage as main source of income with a high ratio of their savings and obviously higher education than low income class and poor people. There are large-scaled people with their income near or lower than the bottom line of middle class. They are the potential middle class in future, who should be the main target of the policy to increase the proportion of middle class.