{"id":13303,"date":"2015-11-12T12:30:22","date_gmt":"2015-11-12T17:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/in-china-1980-marked-a-generational-turning-point\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:19:28","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:19:28","slug":"in-china-1980-marked-a-generational-turning-point","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/11\/12\/in-china-1980-marked-a-generational-turning-point\/","title":{"rendered":"In China, 1980 marked a generational turning point"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"China's<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

The year 1980 in China is well known as the beginning of the country’s\u00a0one-child policy<\/a>. But what may be overlooked is how that\u00a0year also marked a turning point in China\u2019s generational experiences: Roughly half (47%) of China’s current population were\u00a0born under the policy (ages 0 to 34 today), and they lived through\u00a0a very different China than the half who were born before.\n<\/p>\n\n

Indeed, there\u2019s much discussion in Chinese media<\/a> about the \u201cpost-1980s generation,\u201d a label used to describe a\u00a0group of people born immediately after a series of sweeping political, economic and cultural changes.<\/p>\n\n

Members of the post-\u201980s generation (\u516b\u96f6\u540e) were born after the death of Mao Zedong, and after Deng Xiaoping took power and opened up China\u2019s economy for reform. They came of age during China\u2019s economic boom, and this generation serves as a reference point to describe a group of people (mostly in cities) who lived through significant cultural shifts \u2013\u00a0much as Baby Boomers and Millennials do for the U.S.<\/p>\n\n

Those from this post-Mao, only-child generation, often called “little emperors<\/a>,” are said to be spoiled and privileged, having not\u00a0lived through food rationing or other hardships like their parents did. They’re criticized for being materialistic<\/a> and rebellious, with unprecedented access to consumer goods and exposure to global pop culture \u2013\u00a0though they gained praise<\/a> for their extensive earthquake-relief efforts in 2008. They’re also educated and tech-savvy (like the post-\u201990s and following generations) and have access\u00a0to more information and social networks than ever before. Their most famous members include NBA player Yao Ming, young-adult novelist Guo Jingming and\u00a0outspoken\u00a0blogger Han Han<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

The other\u00a0half\u00a0of China\u2019s population (ages 35 and older, making up about 53% of the population) were born before the country\u2019s one-child policy was widely implemented in September 1980, according to Pew Research Center\u2019s analysis\u00a0of United Nations data<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

These older Chinese\u00a0lived through a volatile era that included the civil war (ending in 1949), the Great Leap Forward (1958-1960), the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and other radical movements. They were part of a more agrarian society, with many living in poverty. They were also part of a younger society: D<\/span>ata show that 72% of China\u2019s population during the Cultural Revolution\u00a0were ages 34 and under, including about 60% who were ages 24 and under.<\/p>\n\n

The pre-\u201980s generations were part of a China that was more hostile to foreign countries, including the United States. Many came of age during an era when China closed down its borders to trade and travelers and condemned Western ideas. By contrast, the post-\u201980s and \u201990s generations grew up in societies that were more engaged with international trade and\u00a0exposed to U.S. culture<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

This divide is evident in public opinion: Younger people in China, though still patriotic, view the U.S. more favorably than their elders<\/a>, according to our spring survey this year.\u00a0A majority (56%) of Chinese\u00a0ages 18 to 34\u00a0give the U.S. a positive rating,\u00a0while just 37% of older Chinese (ages 35 and older) view the U.S. favorably.<\/p>\n\n

Nonetheless, there are many attitudes\u00a0that Chinese of all ages share today: Life is better now\u00a0than it was in the past, and China’s current economy looks solid. No matter their age, nearly\u00a0all Chinese adults say their standard of living today is better than their parents’ when they were the same age. And a large majority of young and old Chinese (seven-in-ten) say their personal economic situation is good<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The roughly 47% of the population today who were born under the one-child policy lived through a very different China than those born before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":205,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":null,"sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[29,254,204,255,30],"bylines":[725],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[506,514],"research-teams":[521,525,529,526,527,528,522,520,523,517,518,519],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-13303","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","category-generations-age","category-birth-rate-fertility","category-comparison-of-generations","category-gender-demographics","category-gender-lgbtq","bylines-george-gao","formats-short-read","regions-countries-china","regions-countries-international","research-teams-data-labs","research-teams-global","research-teams-global-migration-and-demography","research-teams-internet","research-teams-journalism","research-teams-methods","research-teams-pew-research-center","research-teams-politics","research-teams-race-and-ethnicity","research-teams-religion","research-teams-science","research-teams-social-trends"],"label":"Short 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