Since reform and open-door policies were implemented in the late 1970s, China has
become a more important player in international markets. Increasing numbers of researchers are
exploring Chinas
agriculture. The data from Chinas
rural and urban household survey are
some of the most important data for researchers both inside and outside China. These data sets
have been widely used to analyze rural and urban consumption behavior, savings and investment
behaviors, and China’s food projections. Researchers, however, still encounter a number of
difficulties in using the household survey data. Problems of accuracy and availability have
seriously limited its use, made the analysis inexact and the research results difficult to interpret.
As a result, consumption parameters estimated in various studies widely different. Incomplete
reported meat consumption data has caused difficulty in estimating Chinas
meat output and
feed grain demand.
To help explain Chinas
household data, we discuss some issues about rural and urban
household surveys. We first provide an overview of the history of household surveys in China
and the sampling methods. Then we describe the content of the household survey, the main
changes in recent years, the issue of data availability, and identify problems in data collection and
use.