Reportage

Beijing

Beijingers and their city

• Some 83% are happy with their city, 57% have chosen to live (or remain) there and 94% want their children to grow up there.
• They find their city very beautiful (72%) and think others would like to live there (81%).
• Ninety-two percent of Beijing's residents trust one another and 86% of them think that quality of life will improve in the next 10 years.
• The three areas for improvement in their city are housing prices (80%), health hazards (34%) and pollution (32%).
• Some 58% of Beijingers would like to see a reduction in cars on the road, notably by increasing metro (81%) and bus (72%) services. Beijingers would also like to see cars play a smaller role (75%).

Beijingers and the environment

• Some 76% of them believe they will have to change the way they live to preserve the environment,
• while 96% think it will not happen without them. Consuming less water (63%), reducing and recycling their waste (61%) and taking public transit more often (52%) are the main things they are willing to do.
• Likewise, measures to promote telecommuting (91%), create bicycle trails (82%), reduce public lighting at night (78%) and institute an urban toll (74%) are looked upon favorably.