More than 70% favor early start to Spring Festival holiday  

七成人支持春节长假从除夕放 调查呈现一边倒情况

(ECNS) -- An overwhelming 70% of netizens polled favor kicking off the Spring Festival holiday on New Year's Eve rather than New Year's Day, according to the National Survey Research Center at Renmin University of China (NSRC), Beijing Morning Post reported.

The questionnaire also touched on age and occupation. Respondents, aged from 20 to 40, mainly included business staff. Of these, more than 70% chose New Year's Eve; about 25% agreed on New Year's Day; while the rest thought it didn't matter.

"Staff don't have to work on the afternoon of New Year's Eve in most businesses, so it doesn't matter whether Spring Festival holiday begins on the day or not," a respondent surnamed Guo commented.

Those who voted for New Year's Day as the start were afraid they might miss New Year's Eve dinner, an occasion for family reunions, said Liu Simin, Deputy Secretary General of the Beijing Tourism Society.

Liu recommended that, to promote general happiness, the public holiday should be prolonged to nine days, and suggested that two public holidays be added in May and August.