China's Middle Income Group in the New Stage of Common Prosperity: Growth Status and Policies Design

Based on Chinese Social Survey (CSS) conducted by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, this paper comprehensively analyzes the growth and status of China's middle-income groups. It also discusses problems in the development of the middle-income groups such as insufficience, uneven and disproportion. The survey data display the low proportion of middle- income groups among population, disproportional hierarchical structure of middle-income groups and uneven development among regions. There is still a long way to go to achieve the goal of common prosperity for all the people. In the new development stage, the growth goals of the middle income group in China need to be upgraded and revised for the high-quality social development. The Chinese government should make policies in three levels in promoting the growth of the middle-income group: macro-level policies for expanding the group, mid-level policies for adjusting its unbalance structure, and micro-level policies for upgrading low-income groups into the middle-income group.