81.3 percent of Chinese support rewards for returning lost property: survey

BEIJING - About 81.3 percent of Chinese agree with rewarding people who return lost property, according to a survey released by China Youth Daily on Tuesday.

Of the 2,003 surveyed, 56.5 percent said that rewards will encourage people to return lost property, while 18.8 percent of respondents said rewarding good deeds will prompt the growth of profit-oriented behavior and block moral progress in society.

Moreover, 19.4 percent of the people surveyed said they can understand compensation for the return of lost goods, but it should not be encouraged.

It has become common practice to reward people for their help in finding lost items. Nearly 48 percent of the respondents viewed this as the result of an evolution in ideas, while 46.1 percent considered it evidence of a moral decline in society.

Dong Hui, a junior at a Beijing-based university, said advocating payment will help build a rule-abiding society.

"Rewards show respect for helpful deeds, and the owner and people who return lost goods both benefit," said Dong.

Of the surveyed, 81 percent were from first- and second-tier cities, and people who were born between 1980 and 1989 account for 51.3 percent of the total.