Despite China’s vast economic growth, many citizens are concerned for the state of the nation. Concerns regarding food safety, corruption, income inequality, and relations with the US were at the top of the public's list of worries. Food safety is a paramount issue for the country. In 2008 only 12% of those surveyed considered food safety a very big problem. Over the past 4 years, this figure increased by nearly 30 percentage points, with 41% reporting that they worry about the safety of their food. The Chinese public is also concerned about corrupt officials. About half of those polled reported that corruption was a large problem for the country. Additionally, the growing inequality between the rich and poor is a huge problem in the minds of Chinese citizens. When asked whether they agreed that in China “it’s really true that the rich just get richer while the poor get poorer”, 81% completely agreed or mostly agreed.
Their concerns are not isolated to the state of domestic affairs. Many Chinese express growing reluctance to work with the US. In 2010, 68% of those surveyed said the country’s relationship with the US was one of cooperation, but in 2012 only 39% adopted this same view. Moreover, in 2010, 52% of those surveyed expressed confidence in Obama. In 2012, this figure dropped to 38%. Although these figures may seem to be a cause for concern for the Obama administration, it is important to note that many Chinese people still support American ideas about democracy. A majority of Chinese people between the ages of 18-49 support American ideas concerning democracy and when broken down by education, 65% of those with some college also embrace these key values.
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