BEIJING -- The cost of children's education eats up nearly a third of a Chinese family's total income, according to a survey released here on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted by the Horizon Research Group, sampled families in eight big cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

A family with one or more children studying in school or kindergarten spent an average 3,522 yuan (about US$440) on their education between October 2004 and October 2005, accounting for nearly a third of the household's annual income, the survey said.

Even though China's rural residents usually spend only half as much as their urban counterparts on kids' education, as a proportion of their income the cost is even steeper for them.

The survey also showed that about 85 percent of Chinese families choose to send their children to public schools rather than private ones, citing "low tuition fees" and "standardized teaching methods" as the major reasons.

The general public is concerned about high education costs in China, especially the relatively high college tuition fees of 5,000 yuan (about US$625) per year on average, well beyond the reach of most rural residents, who earn on average about 3,200 yuan a year.