Some 60 per cent of Chinese consumers expect their incomes will increase this year – their confidence reflecting their country’s steady economic growth.

And in the survey of 100,000 families by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), CCTV – the state-owned TV network – and China Post, 27 per cent of residents said they expect a significant income increase for 2010.

But rising house prices continue to worry 54 per cent of those inhabiting the world’s most populous nation, with six out of ten of those living in Beijing and Shanghai deciding not to invest in a house this year.

Consumer confidence has been boosted by a massive government stimulus package, and GDP growth rates increasing throughout 2009 in China, from 6.2 per cent in the first quarter to 10.7 per cent in Q4. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show that disposable incomes for urban Chinese grew by 8.8 per cent to 17,175 yuan ($2,513; £1,612; €1,851) last year. Rural residents had a disposable income of 5,153 yuan, up by 8.2 per cent year-on-year.