A new Pew Centre survey says Chinese people are optimistic about the direction their country is taking. From the Sydney Morning Herald:
The survey results, which rank China first among 24 nations, point to an enormous gulf between domestic and Western perceptions of China that has widened in the aftermath of the Tibet riots and troubled Olympic torch relay. China’s country satisfaction rating soared to 86 per cent from 48 per cent in 2002.
Analysts said the results should not be dismissed merely as Chinese people saying what the Government wanted them to say.
“Even if you take away 10, 15 per cent for that kind of bias you still have a very strong result,” said Susan Shirk, a professor of political science at the University of California and a former deputy assistant secretary for China in the US State Department.
Read more about the survey, via Google News.