I’ve been meaning to recommend this report issued annually by the Committee of 100, an 16-year-old U.S. association of Chinese Americans leaders that works both on domestic issues and on U.S.-China relations. “US-CHINA: Public, Elite Attitudes Reflect “Hope and Fear” was issued last month and is packed with important detail. This fits perfectly with Berkshire Publishing’s educational resources on global attitudes towards the United States and we’re considering a special report that would analysis the business and social implications of this issue. Here are a few details from the article linked to above:

Chinese respondents were far more optimistic than their U.S. counterparts about the state and direction of their nation. Nearly 90 percent of Chinese said they believe their country is on the “right track”, while nearly 60 percent of U.S. respondents said they believed their country was on the “wrong track”.

The survey found little confidence among respondents in both countries that the mass media of the other portrayed their own nation accurately. In addition, the survey found misperceptions among elites in both countries about the views of their publics toward each other.

Elites in the U.S. underestimate the favourable views of China held by the general public, while elites in China believe the views held by their compatriots of the U.S. are more favourable than they actually are.

The full report in PDF is available. Click here for a copy.