(Yicai Global) March 26 -- The lowest ratio of Chinese people are looking to buy housing in the next three months since over a year ago as more plan to invest their savings in other ways amid the rising property prices, according to a survey.

Some 19.3 percent of urban bank account holders said that they intend to buy housing in the second quarter, lower than the 19.9 percent ratio logged last December, the People’s Bank of China said in a report based on a survey that targeted 20,000 people in 50 Chinese cities. The ratio had been even lower in the first quarter of 2020.

One of the reasons may be that prices are predicted to rise. Some 25.2 percent of survey participants said that they expect housing prices to increase, more than the earlier 23.1 percent portion. A decreasing number of people thought prices should remain basically the same.

Where will the money flow? More people intend to invest their disposable income rather than consume it or save it. Some 28.6 percent of the respondents said that they want to invest more, rising by 3.3 percentage points. The ratio of those who plan to deposit more fell by 2.3 percentage points to 49.1 percent. The portion of spenders dropped by 1 percentage point to 22.3 percent.

Entrepreneurs and bankers are increasingly confident about the country's economic prospects. Some 71.5 percent of bankers said that the current macroeconomic situation is normal, up by 8.9 percentage points from earlier. The macroeconomic heat index for the second quarter was 48.3 percent, rising by 5.9 percent.

Meanwhile, 70.9 percent of entrepreneurs thought that the economic conditions were normal, while almost 26 percent of them said the situation is a bit cold. The group's heat index logged 38.9 percent, rising by 4.5 percentage points.

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi