Opinion | Five times more conservatives than liberals in China, says survey
Research by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has surprised even the study's author
Chinese urban residents have become more conservative, cynical and pragmatic in their attitudes towards politics in the last quarter of century, a study has found.
Research by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, published last week, has surprised even the study's author.
Some 38.1 per cent of those surveyed held more conservative values, were more critical of overall individualism and leaned towards the "left", a term that commonly refers to those more patriotic, according to the study by scholar Zhang Mingshu, director of the political culture research centre at the academy.
Only 8 per cent leaned to the "right", supporting more individual freedoms and a smaller government, and were more critical towards the Communist Party's legacy. The rest of those polled were categorised as centrists, neither left nor right.
Zhang surveyed 1,750 adult urban residents across the nation on their political views, their attitudes towards participating in politics and their knowledge about politics.
The study, titled "What kind of democracy do Chinese people want", follows up on an April 1989 survey conducted by Zhang in the wake of the Tiananmen uprising, which saw hopes for further political reforms squashed by the People's Liberation Army's barrels and tanks.