The Global Times has published the results of a survey, drawn from the opinions of more than 1,200 adults in seven major cities across China, in which more than eight in ten respondents said they support political reform:
“The result represents people’s perception of society. They acknowledge what China has achieved over the past 10 years, recognize the 18th CPC National Congress as the linchpin of China’s development, and are aware of the changes China is facing at home and abroad,” said Zhang Shuhua, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
As to what China should do in terms of political reform, more than 70 percent of the respondents said they believed that the government should further accept public supervision from the public and the media. Strengthening anti-corruption efforts and increasing transparency in government information came as the second and the third, with 69.3 percent and 66.5 percent respectively supporting the measures.
“The results of this poll echo previous investigations, which represent what people have been paying attention to, and what they anticipate in terms of political reform,” said Zhang.
Some 85 percent of respondents believed that China is likely to face more challenges in the future.
On the topic of political reform, more than 70 percent of those surveyed thought that the government should allow increased oversight from the public and the media, while anti-corruption policies and government transparency also topped the list of desired changes. Elsewhere in the survey, 27 percent pinned the biggest problem in China’s economy on industry monopolies, while 23 percent pointed to the wealth disparity between the coastal and western provinces.
