Almost 80 percent of migrant workers' children study hard "to make their parents lives better", according to a survey released on Tuesday.

About 44 percent of the 1,650 rural children surveyed hope to receive a college education, through which they can change their own fate and their parents' lives.

The survey, conducted by the China Youth and Children Research Center, said 22 percent of rural children disliked their parents' work and almost eight percent disliked their parents.

The survey found the educational level of migrant workers was generally low, with most receiving only primary or junior middle school education.

Migrant workers are mainly employed in the construction and service sectors or run small private businesses in China's large cities, according to the survey.

They spend most of the time earning money and have little time to spend with their children, it said.

More than 45 percent of children surveyed said their parents did not take them out even on holidays and birthdays and parent-children communication was low.

An earlier survey of 745 children in cities found more than 14 percent of rural migrant children said their parents often beat or scolded them.

It also found almost 70 percent of migrant families lived in shabby homes and 41 percent disliked their accommodation.

Forty percent of rural children noticed discrimination from city dwellers and 34 percent said urban residents were unfriendly to migrant workers, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2007)