China's consumers are highly optimistic about their future, with confidence in their life quality and income, according to the latest survey conducted by the MasterCard International.

The survey found consumers' confidence index reached 82.3 on the Chinese mainland. Though their confidence about employment dipped slightly to 78.9, their confidence about stocks rose from 50.1 for the first half of last year to 53.9.

Consumers in Beijing and Shanghai became more confident than six months earlier, with those in Guangzhou the most optimistic among people from Chinese metropolises, according to the survey.

Senior economists with the MasterCard International said strong confidence would buoy continuous consumption on the mainland, which was very important to a sustained, strong growth in the national economy, particularly in a period when investment tended to slow down.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2006)