VietNamNet Bridge – Up to 42% of people in rural areas say they are unhappy with current living conditions, largely due to low income, according to a survey conducted by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM).

Illustrative image. – Photo : VNS

The above findings are mentioned in a report on four studies delivered by the institute at a conference in Hanoi on Thursday on economic development policies for the country’s rural areas. The people in the survey said their income was low and did not match their labor.

The studies were conducted in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010 and last year, gathering a huge volume of data on socio-economic situations in rural Vietnam, from income and savings to land and migration. The surveys were conducted by polling over 3,700 households in 12 provinces in northern, southern and central Vietnam as well as the Central Highlands.

Among the respondents, 42% said they were unhappy, while 6% said they were not happy in the least. The key reason behind their lack of satisfaction is their low income.

Luu Duc Khai, head of the Rural Development Policy Department under CIEM, noted that many families considered migration as a way to increase income. Over one fifth of the households interviewed said at least one member in each of their families had migrated to another locality for work.

Amounts of money remitted home by such migrant workers become an important source of income for the families, and this trend is expected to continue in the future.

Overall, welfares for the people have improved, but even in localities deemed as the most successful in improving the people’s welfares, benefits for many families remain unchanged, especially among ethnic minority people, according to Khai.

Source: SGT