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Social issues in the People's Republic of China in the 21st century are varied and wide-ranging, and are a combined result of the Chinese economic reforms set in place in the late 1970's, China's religious and cultural backdrop, and an immense population. Because of the vast number of social problems that exist in China today (not at all exclusive to following list), China's government has faced considerable difficulty in trying to remedy the issues. Many of these issues are exposed by the Chinese media, while subjects that may contain politically sensitive issues may be censored. Some academics hold that China's fragile social balance, combined with a bubble economy makes China an extremely unstable country, while others argue China's societal trends has created a balance to sustain itself.

Contents 1 Socio-economic imbalances 2 Population 3 Social Safety Net 4 Government & Law 5 Crime 6 Social Unrest 7 Health Care 8 Elitism and discrimination 9 Environment 10 Education 11 Morality 12 Loss of Culture

• Rural-urban disparity and the wealth gap
• Coastal/Hinterland imbalance

• Overpopulation
• Male-female ratio disparity from sex-selective abortion and other problems associated from One-child policy
• Uncontrollable flow of mass migration

• Lack of pension system; Social insurance virtually non-existent
• Unemployment
• Lack of benefits for the retired

• Lack of democratic practice and power invested in citizenry
• Government's abuse of power
• Sheer unbreakable system of patronage
• Useless positions in civil service and redundant government agencies
• Corruption (nepotism, cronyism, wasting public funds, bribery etc.)
• Face projects (面子工程), including building useless roads, buildings, and huge government squares
• government-commerce relationships (官商勾结)
• Lack of the rule of law
• Corruption of the legal system
• Fusion and unclear definition on the powers of the government and judiciary

• Corporate irregularity
• Re-emergence of organized crime
• Gambling and prostitution
• Growth of pornographic industry
• Personal safety risks (especially in public places such as train stations)
• Massive counterfeiting
• Corporate scandals (includes corruption in professional sports)
• Increased instances of fraud and scams (including people claiming supernatural powers, cure illnesses, change names for better luck, etc.)

• Media Censorship
• Challenges to authority
• Protests against local government/businesses and ensuing persecution

• Immense corruption (doctors are the most notorious in China for taking bribes)
• System of irresponsibility
• Lack of modern equipment in majority of rural areas
• Privatization and double standards
• Uncontrollable spread of AIDS and STDs
• Sanitation

• Regional elitism (particularly in Beijing and Shanghai)
• Discrimination against women (although since the Mao-era the status of women gained significant ground)
• Emergence of new class system

• Sacrificing environmental needs for economic gain (includes Three Gorges Dam project)
• Urban industrial pollution
• Uncontrollable and unsustainable rise in urban vehicle use

• Competitiveness in schools (includes bribery to get into best schools)
• Overt emphasis on exams (especially Gaokao, the university entrance exams)
• Lack of free time for youth
• Lack of creativity
• Lack of physical education
• Lack of proper philosophical education
• Rural-urban inequality
• privatization
• Lack of job opportunities after graduation

• Norm that social competitiveness should be considered above all else
• Loss of traditional Confucianism morals and beliefs
• Inflexible ideologies taught in public

• New generation of Chinese embracing anything Western (pop music, western clothing, going to Starbucks, etc.), thus losing Chinese culture
• Buddhism becoming commercialized
• Suppression of religion