Despite China’s vast economic growth, many citizens are
concerned for the state of the nation. Concerns regarding food safety, corruption, income inequality, and relations with the US were at the top of the public's list of worries. Food safety is a paramount issue for the
country. In 2008 only 12% of those surveyed considered food safety a very big
problem. Over the past 4 years, this figure increased by nearly 30 percentage points, with
41% reporting that they worry about the safety of their food. The Chinese public is also concerned about
corrupt officials. About half of those polled reported that corruption was a
large problem for the country. Additionally, the growing inequality between the
rich and poor is a huge problem in the minds of Chinese citizens. When asked
whether they agreed that in China “it’s really true that the rich just get
richer while the poor get poorer”, 81% completely agreed or mostly agreed.
Their concerns are not isolated to the state of domestic
affairs. Many Chinese express growing reluctance to work with the US. In
2010, 68% of those surveyed said the country’s relationship with the US was one
of cooperation, but in 2012 only 39% adopted this same view. Moreover, in 2010,
52% of those surveyed expressed confidence in Obama. In 2012, this figure
dropped to 38%. Although these figures may seem to be a cause for concern for the Obama administration, it is important
to note that many Chinese people still support American ideas about democracy.
A majority of Chinese people between the ages of 18-49 support American ideas
concerning democracy and when broken down by education, 65% of those with some
college also embrace these key values.
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