China’s Rural and Urban Household Survey Data: Collection, Availability, and Problems

Cheng Fang, Eric Wailes, Gail Cramer
October 1998  [98-WP 202]

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Suggested citation:

Fang, C., E. Wailes, and G. Cramer. 1998. "China’s Rural and Urban Household Survey Data: Collection, Availability, and Problems." Working paper 98-WP 202. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University.


Abstract

As China has become a more important player in international markets in recent decades, an increasing number of researchers have become interested in China's agriculture. China's rural and urban household surveys, begun in 1955, have traditionally been an important source of data, but problems of accuracy and availability have seriously limited their use. This paper provides a historical overview of the surveys, describes the surveys' contents and major changes in recent years, and identifies problems in data availability, collection, and use.