Independent public opinion surveys in China, particularly those that shed light on how the Chinese public views the world, are few and far between. In China, surveying the views of the public can be a sensitive task, given the declared mission of the Communist Party in what it calls ‘actively guiding public opinion’.
This is why a new survey of Chinese public opinion, carried out by researchers of the Central European Institute of Asian Studies (CEIAS) and Palacky University Olomouc in the Czech Republic, is particularly invaluable. Adding relevance to the new survey is its timing. More than 3,000 Chinese respondents were asked for their views in March 2022, two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The results may not be surprising, but are a clear indicator of how much China’s state policy, backed by state media that remain dominant in setting the discourse in the country, is able to shape public opinion in line with China’s foreign policy goals.
