Ma Chenkai, department manager of a toy company in Dongguan, Guangdong province, said it is unrealistic to require blue-collar workers to postpone retirement.

"It's physically demanding to work in manufacturing workshops, eyesight and energy levels deteriorate," Ma, 43, said.

"Plus, their wages will not rise that much even if they continue to work. So the option of looking after their grandchildren at home becomes even more attractive."

More than 60 percent of those polled believed China should introduce more flexible retirement arrangements for people from different walks of life.

Li Guizhen, associate chief technician from the department of laboratory medicine in the Tianjin Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, said she would be happy to prolong her working life, as she believes it is a waste of medical expertise to let female paramedics retire at 55.

"It takes years of education and training to become a senior medical professional and I feel energetic, so I prefer to contribute more to society," said Li.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution in terms of the retirement age and the government should allow people to have more options, based on health and their attitude, Li said. She also agreed that the retirement age for government officials should not be pushed back as this would increase the taxpayers' burden.

Liu Yiran contributed to this story.