Inflation, prices top list of public concerns

BEIJING - High inflation and soaring housing prices have contributed to growing public dissatisfaction with their quality of life, the country's top think tank said on Wednesday.

Job satisfaction for urban residents, and confidence in social welfare programs, dipped to their lowest levels since 2006, according to the 2011 Blue Book of China's Society released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The findings for urban residents were mirrored in their rural counterparts, with job satisfaction, concerns over the economy and social welfare at their worst in four years, according to the survey.