The trickle-down theory of economics will pay dividends for children this Lunar New Year, with parents passing on some of their income gains to their offspring in the form of extra pocket money. A survey by the People's Daily and sohu.com showed more than half of parents were planning to hand out more than 1,000 yuan in hong bao, or red packets, this year. And 58 per cent of those polled said they expected their children to each receive more than 1,000 yuan from family and friends. More than a third said they would be dishing out 500 to 1,000 yuan; nearly 40 per cent expected their children to be among the high rollers - receiving 500 to 1,000 yuan. Less than 10 per cent intended to give under 500 yuan, and only about 2 per cent predicted their children would receive less than 500 yuan. The survey did not say how many people were interviewed, nor how much they earned. One parent quoted by People's Daily, 38-year-old doctor Lin Zhiying , said her son, a first-year pupil at primary school, bought a handheld electronic game costing more than 1,000 yuan with his holiday pocket money. 'He said that's how money should be spent. I was so angry,' Dr Lin said. According to the United Nations Development Programme, the average city-dweller earns US$1,000 a year, about three times as much as in the countryside.