TIANJIN - About 55 percent of Chinese college students choose to work in second-tier cities after graduation, while 14.4 percent have shown a preference for larger cities like Beijing and Shanghai, according to the results of a survey.

The Beijing Youth Stress Management Service Center and Sina.com, the country's largest Internet portal, jointly conducted an online survey and distributed paper questionnaires one month ago, receiving more than 4,300 responses.

"Although large cities are still drawing young people, their high housing prices, traffic problems and high living costs have also created great pressure," said An Pintao, an employment advisor from Zhaopin.com, a leading Chinese job-hunting website.

Working hours in larger cities tend to be longer than those of smaller cities, An said, adding that this may also be a factor in how young people choose where to work.