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Results of a new survey released in Beijing on August 29 present a stereoscopic image of China in the eyes of the international community.

The 2015 China National Image Global Survey covered China's overall national image and influence as well as its political, diplomatic, economic, cultural, and science and technology images. It was conducted by the Center for International Communication Studies under China International Publishing Group (CIPG), also known as China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration, from January to March 2016 in partnership with leading market research firms Millward Brown and Lightspeed GMI.

In addition to previous survey topics, the questionnaire of the latest survey, the fourth by the research team, included new topics on global issues such as global governance and the current international order.

The main findings of the 2015 survey:

--China's image is steadily improving internationally, with the nation ranking second in terms of influence in world affairs among all countries. China's overall image scores 6.2 points on average in a 10-point system, 0.3 higher than in 2014. Developing countries have better impressions of China (6.9 points) than developed countries (5.5 points). Compared with other age groups, overseas youth (aged 18-35) have a better understanding and better impressions of China. They are more optimistic about the country's future development. The United States ranks first in terms of influence in world affairs among all countries, followed by China, Russia, Britain and Germany.

--A big Oriental country with a rich history and full of charm is the most prominent image of China. In the minds of overseas respondents, China's image as a big Oriental country with a rich history and full of charm is the most prominent, with 43 percent of respondents agreeing to this. Of respondents in developing countries, 54 percent agree. Global respondents generally have a positive impression of Chinese people, and diligence is their most recognized character.

--China's economic influence ranks second in the world, and overseas respondents have a positive evaluation of the Chinese economy. Respondents universally acknowledge the positive role that Chinese economic development has played, and they are optimistic about China's future development. Nearly half of the respondents believe that China's economic influence will grow continually.

--The overseas image of Chinese brands has improved, especially in after-sales service. Low quality remains a major factor hindering the overseas development of Chinese brands, with 60 percent of respondents complaining about the problem. Compared with 2014, overseas dissatisfaction with food safety, after-sales service and prices has dropped by 6, 13 and 9 percent, respectively. The progress Chinese brands have made in after-sales service is the most prominent.

--China's scientific and technological innovation capacity is widely recognized and high-speed rail is China's best-known scientific achievement. Sixty-one percent of overseas respondents believe China's scientific and technological innovation capacity is strong or very strong, which exceeds 57 percent for the Chinese surveyed. Half of overseas respondents know about China's scientific achievements in 2015, with 21 percent affirming that China's high-speed railway network has reached 19,000 km, more than any other country in the world.

--Overseas respondents expect China to play a bigger role in global economy, and science and technology. With regard to future global governance, overseas respondents expect China to play a bigger role in global economy (64 percent), and science and technology (58 percent).

--More overseas respondents are planning to visit China with Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong as the top three destinations. Among overseas respondents, about 31 percent plan to study, work or travel in China within the next three years. The figure was 26 percent in 2014. Beijing (48 percent), Shanghai (30 percent) and Hong Kong (23 percent) are their most favored Chinese cities.

The CIPG Center for International Communication Studies, a state-level specialized think tank, developed the platform of China's national image survey together with Millward Brown and Lightspeed GMI in a bid to gauge the opinions of the international community toward China. The team has been working on the project since 2011, establishing its reputation as the first China-based independent research platform issuing comprehensive regular reports on the country's image. It aims to provide targeted, comparable and viable recommendations for boosting the effect of China's international communication programs.

Full Report: 2015 China National Image Global Survey

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