Most people optimistic about country's future
Over eight out of 10 Chinese said they believe "stability is a blessing while turmoil is a disaster" and two-thirds supported the policy of stopping those who take part in "street politics" such as illegal gatherings and demonstrations.
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Most people optimistic about country's future |
The results came from a poll in which nearly 90 percent of those interviewed said they have confidence in the country's future.
The telephone poll was conducted by the Global Poll Center under the Global Times. Pollsters interviewed adults in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha, Xi'an, Shenyang, Nanning, Daqing and Baotou from March 8 to 13.
A total of 84.2 percent of the 1,509 respondents agreed that "stability is a blessing while turmoil is a disaster" and just 7.3 percent expressed an opposite view. Another 8.5 percent had no strong opinion.
Zhang Shengjun, a professor of politics at Beijing Normal University, said that the results reflected that people have a very high desire to maintain stability and improve their livelihood.
The poll also found that older respondents with better education tend to place more importance on "stability." It showed that 86 percent of respondents between 30 and 49 agreed that "stability is a blessing while turmoil is a disaster," 6.5 percent more than those between 18 and 29.
Some 63.6 percent of those polled agreed that the government should stop those holding "street politics" while just 19.6 percent disagreed and another 16.8 percent had no strong opinion. Another separate online poll conducted earlier on huanqiu.com showed that 72 percent of 32,963 respondents supported the government stopping such activities.
Also, nearly 90 percent were optimistic about the country's future - while 64.9 percent were strongly confident and 24.9 percent were somewhat optimistic.
Chang Jian, a professor at Nankai University in Tianjin, said that the results showed that Chinese people place a high importance on stability.
Chang said that although the nation is in a period with many conflicts, the vast majority still believes that most problems could be solved as long as there's a stable environment.
The percentage of people who support efforts to curb "street politics" was not as high as the other two and Chang said that it was a reflection on society's experience dealing with social conflicts, which is generally little. The poll showed that 16.8 percent have no strong opinion on the subject.
