Editor’s note: this article was translated and edited from wumii.com and popular newspaper Reference News. The article studies the results of recent GlobeScan poll published by the BBC which shows that China’s international popularity is at an eight-year low. The article goes on in depth to look at the key changes in opinions towards China from various countries, and then attempts to decipher the reasons why China’s popularity has recently plummeted. The article then goes on to question the credibility of the poll as it believes that not enough people were surveyed to portray an accurate picture of China’s international image.

Recently, the BBC published a GlobeScan poll which depicted the worldwide popularity of various countries, and it showed that China had slipped to an eight-year low regarding its international popularity. The poll shows that an overall of 42% of those surveyed had a positive opinion of China; down 8% on the 2012 survey. Negative opinion of China had also risen to 39%, which is up 8% on the results from the last survey. With this, China’s international popularity slipped to ninth position, falling four places from its standing in the 2012 poll. Ahead of China, the top ranking countries were Germany, Canada, the UK, Japan, France, Brazil, and America. India, often seen as China’s rival in the field of major developing nations, came in 12th position.

Changes at the top

The survey was carried out between December 2012 and April 2013, and asked simple questions either over the phone or face to face to 26,299 people from 25 countries. The 2013 poll showed that Germany came out on top with an average of 59% of those surveyed holding a positive opinion of the country. Japan fell from the 2012 top spot to fourth, with 51% holding a positive opinion of the country. Britain rose up from fourth to third with 55% of those polled seeing it in a positive light. 

Pakistan favors China the most

The 2013 poll showed that the countries that saw China in a positive light were relatively unchanged from the 2012 survey. Many sub-Saharan and southern African countries expressed a liking for China, with many of those surveyed in Nigeria stating they thought China was having a positive impact on the world. 68% of Ghanaians polled showed a positive opinion of China, as did 58% of Kenyans – a 17% rise compared to last year. On top though was Pakistan, with 81% of people surveyed saying yes when they were asked if China was doing good in the world. BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries were also found to generally view China positively. Brazil, Russia, and India in particular saw sharp rises and declines in both their respective positive and negative views of the country.     

Europe and the US’s views of China deteriorate

Many critics believe that the reason why China’s international popularity showed decline is due to the results from those surveyed in Europe. The results from Britain showed a dramatic drop (20%) of those holding an overall positive opinion of China compared to last year, while negative opinions were up 18%. Negative opinions of China from Germany were up to a high of 67% (up 20% from 2012), while 68 and 67% of French and Spanish people surveyed showed negative opinions towards China.  

Both Canada and the US showed the lowest results regarding the popularity of China since 2005. One of the most notable statistics was the decline in positive opinion towards China by Canadians – figures dropped from 53% in 2012 to 29% in the most recent survey. Negative opinion of China in the US also saw a rise from 46% in 2012 to 67%. Regarding the Americas, the only silver lining came from Mexico, as opinions towards China were at an all time high since 2005. The poll showed that 47% saw China positively (up 10% on 2012), and only 37% of Mexicans viewed China in a negative light.     

Neighboring countries also showed negative opinions

Regarding China’s neighbors, Japan came out on top as the country that had the most negative opinion of China. Only 5% of those surveyed held a favorable view of China, while a steep 65% showed an overall negative opinion of their westerly neighbours. The results from South Korea weren’t too promising either, with only 23% expressing positive opinions. Meanwhile, results in Australia weren’t too rosy either: survey results there also indicated a sharp decline (down to 36% from 61% in 2012) in their positive opinion towards China. Results from Indonesia were really the only saving grace regarding the reputation of China from its neighbors, as 55% showed they had a positive opinion of China.  

Analysts question the poll’s credibility

Some analysts have pointed out that although the survey does portray the feelings of some societies towards other countries, the scope of the poll was too small and therefore not wholly credible. They believed that due to the relatively low number of participants in each country, the answers, many of which were varied, greatly affected the overall results. As there were just over 26,000 people surveyed in 25 countries, the average amount of people questioned in each country was just over 1,000. In countries such as India and China where the population is over one billion, some analysts regarded the answers given by these 1,000 people as an inaccurate portrayal of the overall feelings of the countries’ societies in general. Furthermore, the concepts of whether a country is having a “positive” or “negative” effect on the world are subjective and may differ depending on a persons’ cultural and societal background, or even where they are from.

China’s recent behavior to blame

Some say that foreign media, especially Western media, frequently enjoy painting a biased, negative picture of China. Despite recent efforts from the Chinese government to improve its public image and promote political transparency, foreign media often focuses on issues in China such as pollution, corruption and the gap between the rich and the poor. Recent China-related news have also clearly affected China’s international image, for better or for worse. Issues such as China’s role regarding Syria and North Korea as well as its increased presence in foreign trade have undoubtedly increased friction and disagreement with other countries. 

Regarding the increase in negative opinion towards China and India, Steven Kull, Director of the University of Maryland’s Program on International Policy Attitudes, believes: “While China and India’s prestige was enhanced by defying the gravity of the economic downturn; they seem to be falling back to earth with slowing growth rates and a perception of widespread corruption.” Perhaps to improve the international image of China, the key is to ensure that more people enjoy the benefits of the so-called “Chinese Dream”.

Source: wummii.com
 

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