China’s leaders are less popular than they might think

CHINA’S LEADERS have no qualms about using intimidation and force . But the Communist Party also claims that it deserves to rule because it governs well and has the support of the public. Officials point to decades of impressive economic growth—and to opinion surveys that researchers at Harvard University conducted between 2003 and 2016. In the last such survey, over 90% of Chinese people expressed satisfaction with the party. “Such high approval ratings are beyond the wildest dreams of American politicians,” boasted Hua Chunying, a foreign-ministry spokeswoman, in 2020.Gauging public opinion in China is hard. Foreign firms are generally banned from carrying out surveys. Chinese pollsters tend to avoid sticky subjects, though some work with Western researchers (this was how Harvard conducted its study). No matter who is asking the questions, respondents may not share their actual views for fear of reprisal. So researchers at the University of Southern California tried to get around this problem by using a survey method called a “list experiment”. Their findings, published this month, suggest that the Communist Party has fewer fans than previously thought.