Young Chinese pay greater attention to environmental protection and pollution control in cities than their parents do, the results of an official survey show.

According to a nationwide survey done by the Urban Survey Organization of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently, environmental protection and pollution control in the urban area are the issues of top concern for Chinese aged between 16-25.

The survey revealed that 5.4 percent of the young people chose environmental protection as their top concern among 12 other issues such as income and housing. Another 7.3 percent said that pollution control in the urban area is their top concern.

In contrast, less than three percent of the people from older age groups only regarded environment and pollution as their top concern.

A press officer of the NBS said the wealthier, better educated younger generation are paying greater attention to the quality of life than their parents. Young Chinese are considering the protection of the ecological environment and pollution control as issues of equal importance to income growth.

The survey showed that 86.5 percent of urban residents in China believe that the awareness of environmental protection has been improved around the nation. About 76 percent of them believe that the government should pay more attention to the issue of curbing pollution in cities.

On the other hand, Chinese media keep biting the heels of pollution issues, which has helped enhance the nation's awareness of environmental protection. Television stations and newspapers in major cities around China release air quality reports on a daily basis. Some of them even offer advice about air pollution hazards to outdoor exercisers.

Young Chinese are enjoying better education about environmental protection than any time in the past. Environmental knowledge has become part of the curricula in primary and middle schools.

More than 830,000 primary school students in Beijing participate in a "green angel" activity by encouraging their parents to adopt an environmentally friendly lifestyle.

According to the survey, in Beijing and major cities where the education of environmental protection is well conducted, people are more concerned with the environment than in other places.

(People's Daily 02/20/01)