China is the most optimistic country in the world, according to a YouGov survey. The polls, conducted across 17 countries, found that Eastern countries had a much more positive outlook on the direction the world was heading in than their counterparts in the West. The growing economy was one of the major factors in creating optimism, as well as China’s increasing political influence around the world.

More than a third of Chinese internet users have a positive world outlook

Out of all the Chinese internet users polled by YouGov, 41% of internet users held positive views of world progress, while just over a third considered that things were getting worse. Of all the countries surveyed, the UK was the fifth most pessimistic, with 65% of adults in Britain believing that the world is deteriorating, despite many leading indicators of progress suggesting things have improved over the last 200 years.

China overwhelmingly optimistic compared to world outlook

The results not only show that the Chinese are the most positive about the world, they also show that China is remarkably optimistic when compared to the other countries in which YouGov conducted the polls. The number of positive respondents to the questionnaire was nearly double the number of Indonesia, the second most optimistic country according to the survey, where 23% of respondents feel positive. Of all the countries participating in the poll, China is the only country in which net positivity (the percentage of positive respondents minus the number of negative respondents) is a positive number.

The result suggests that there is something special about China that is making its citizens particularly positive, and the strong economic growth and growing middle class – both of which are fuelling consumer demand – are likely contenders.

Does China’s growing consumer base make it a more optimistic country?

Another previous poll by YouGov discovered the top aspirations of people in Eastern countries, with China ranking highly in desiring health, power and money, although for all countries the latter two categories had small scores to begin with. However, another survey, also conducted by YouGov, has previously found that positive world outlook is often linked to being young, middle class and well educated. According to the data, the optimists trust large institutions, are highly driven in their careers, and are energised by socialising.

As China’s economy grows, its middle class expands – a middle class with an increasing amount of disposable income and a desire for goods that demonstrate their social status and a lifestyle similar to that of the West. China continues to undergo a historic social change (the government recently removed the restrictions on couples which allows them to have more than one child, for instance), in which they are incorporating some of the material values of the West, yet not at the expense of their rich cultural heritage.

It seems that Chinese consumers aren’t just fuelling growth, they’re also fuelling positivity.

(Image source: Image created by stockimages | www.freedigitalphotos.net)