{"id":14857,"date":"2013-11-08T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/inflation-corruption-inequality-top-list-of-chinese-publics-concerns\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:24:54","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:24:54","slug":"inflation-corruption-inequality-top-list-of-chinese-publics-concerns","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/11\/08\/inflation-corruption-inequality-top-list-of-chinese-publics-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Inflation, corruption, inequality top list of Chinese public\u2019s concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This weekend, top leaders in China plan to focus on a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/research\/opinions\/2013\/11\/04-china-third-plenum-pessimism-li-mcelveen\">whole host of reforms<\/a>,\u00a0ranging from initiatives to open up the nation&#8217;s economy to addressing challenges such as corruption, environmental problems, and social issues. In our years of asking the Chinese questions about their views about the state of their country, here are their answers on key issues:<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e8e9de\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e8e9de;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"331\" height=\"528\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/11\/FT_China_Questions.png?resize=331,528 331w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" class=\"wp-image-27257 not-transparent\" alt=\"FT_China_Questions\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/11\/FT_China_Questions.png\" ><\/a><\/figure>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Inflation<\/strong> \u2013 Rising prices are seen as a very big problem by <b>59%<\/b> in China, according to a spring 2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/\">Pew Research Center survey<\/a>. When asked which is the issue most important for the government to address first, <b>53%<\/b> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/05\/23\/chapter-1-national-and-economic-conditions\/\">Chinese public said inflation<\/a>, while 26% named inequality and only 11% cited unemployment. Inflation <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/2013\/10\/14\/us-china-economy-cpi-idUSBRE99D00X20131014\">shot up<\/a> to 3.1% in September, making it a pressing issue for China\u2019s Communist party elite.<!--more--><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Corruption \u2013 <\/b>Just over half of Chinese <b>(53%)<\/b> said that corrupt officials were a very big problem, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/\">spring 2013 survey<\/a>. The recent conviction of <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/09\/23\/sentencing-of-former-party-boss-bo-xilai-puts-focus-on-china-corruption-concerns\/\">Bo Xilai<\/a> and accounts of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/10\/26\/business\/global\/family-of-wen-jiabao-holds-a-hidden-fortune-in-china.html\">personal enrichment<\/a> among former Communist leaders from China\u2019s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) make the issue even more salient. Many observers believe SOE reform will be one of the top goals of this weekend&#8217;s leadership meeting. It is estimated that 35% of business activity and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2012\/11\/10\/world\/asia\/state-enterprises-pose-test-for-chinas-new-leaders.html?pagewanted=1\">43% of profits in China<\/a> result from SOEs.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><\/b><b>Inequality \u2013 <\/b>Just over half in 2013 <b>(52%)<\/b> said that the gap between the rich and the poor was a large concern, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/\">spring survey<\/a>. Earlier this year, Chinese officials released<b> <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.economist.com\/news\/china\/21570749-gini-out-bottle\">an updated Gini coefficient<\/a> of .<b>474<\/b> (a measurement of inequality where 0 represents perfect equality and 1 equals maximum income inequality)<b>, down from a peak of .491 in 2008.<\/b> Many were <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ft.com\/intl\/cms\/s\/0\/1feb0128-614a-11e2-957e-00144feab49a.html#axzz2joRudyuA\">skeptical of the accuracy<\/a> of this rating, but <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/#china-inequality\">Pew Research polling<\/a> shows the number concerned about inequality has fallen since 2008, when 72% said it was a very big problem.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Environmental issues \u2013 <\/b>An increasing number of Chinese are concerned about environmental issues, as <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/10\/22\/as-china-coughs-and-chokes-public-concern-about-air-pollution-rises\/\">suffocating air pollution<\/a> makes international headlines. In the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/global\/2013\/09\/19\/environmental-concerns-on-the-rise-in-china\/\">spring 2013 survey<\/a>, <b>47%<\/b> in China said air pollution was a very big problem and <b>40%<\/b> describe water pollution as a big concern.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Social issues<\/b> \u2013 Lurking in the background of this year\u2019s plenum are increasing concerns about ethnic tensions within China. Recent attacks in <a href=\"http:\/\/sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com\/2013\/10\/28\/3-dead-after-vehicle-bursts-into-flames-at-tiananmen-square\/\">Beijing<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com\/2013\/11\/05\/explosions-near-communist-party-building-in-china\/?hp&amp;_r=0\">Taiyuan<\/a> have highlighted the issue and there have been <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/10\/22\/tough-questions-ahead-for-china-on-its-treatment-of-citizens\/\">tough questions<\/a> from abroad for the Chinese government on its treatment of its own citizens. A spring <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/10\/22\/tough-questions-ahead-for-china-on-its-treatment-of-citizens\/\">Pew Research survey<\/a> found that only a median of <b>36%<\/b> across 38 countries surveyed in 2013 said the Chinese government respected the personal freedoms of its people. Furthermore, China had among the worst rankings on government restrictions of religion, according to the Pew Research Center\u2019s Religion &amp; Public Life Project <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2011\/08\/09\/rising-restrictions-on-religion-gri\/\">Government Restrictions Index<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China watchers are eagerly anticipating this weekend\u2019s Third Plenum of the 18th Party Congress, a gathering expected to focus on a whole host of reforms. Here are five facts from Pew Research related to issues Chinese leaders will be addressing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"sub_headline":null,"sub_title":"","_crdt_document":"","_prc_public_revisions":[],"_ppp_expiration_hours":0,"_ppp_enabled":false,"ai_generated_summary":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"relatedPosts":[],"_prc_fork_parent":0,"_prc_fork_status":"","_prc_active_fork":0,"datacite_doi":"","datacite_doi_citation":"","_prc_seo_qr_attachment_id":0,"spoken_article_player_enabled":true,"bylines":[{"key":"5a0c65f948ec7f72c30a3326dbec61e0","termId":624}],"acknowledgements":[],"displayBylines":true,"footnotes":"","prc_watchers":[]},"categories":[],"bylines":[624],"collection":[],"datasets":[],"_post_visibility":[],"formats":[467],"_fund_pool":[],"languages":[],"regions-countries":[515],"research-teams":[525],"workflow-status":[],"class_list":["post-14857","short-read","type-short-read","status-publish","hentry","bylines-jacob-poushter","formats-short-read","regions-countries-united-states","research-teams-global"],"label":"Short Read","post_parent":0,"word_count":431,"canonical_url":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2013\/11\/08\/inflation-corruption-inequality-top-list-of-chinese-publics-concerns\/","art_direction":false,"_embeds":[],"watchers":[],"table_of_contents":[],"datacite_doi":"","prc_seo_data":{"title":"Inflation, corruption, inequality top list of Chinese public\u2019s concerns","description":"China watchers are eagerly anticipating this weekend\u2019s Third Plenum of the 18th Party Congress, a gathering expected to focus on a whole host of reforms. 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