The Chinese government is often criticised for its heavy-handed rule and critics often state that its people are afraid of it.

However, results of a new survey reveal that China leads the world when it comes to trust by its people.

Industry leaders and the general population alike continue to support the government’s handling of COVID-19 despite the outbreak in Wuhan more than 12 months ago. “The balance between caring for individual health as well as the health of the economy resulted in a 2.3% growth despite the pandemic,” one leader told RT Media.

Data journalist Niall McCarthy, reported for Statistaon findings from Edelman Research’s latest Trust Barometerwhich polled 33,000 people in 28 countries about their trust in various institutions between October 19 and November 18, 2020.

Some of the highest levels of trust in government were seen in Asia where 82 per cent of Chinese respondents trusted the institution, along with 79 per cent of people polled in India. Japan was among the lowest at 37 per cent while the figure was lower still in Spain and Russia at just 34 per cent. The stakes are high for 2021 and improvement will likely hinge on how the pandemic plays out, particularly when it comes to the efficiency of vaccination programs and getting economies back on track without compromising public safety.

Despite the turbulence of 2020, a year where hundreds of thousands of Americans died from Covid-19, the research found that trust in the U.S. government actually grew three per cent. Still, the U.S. figure is far lower than many other countries with trust in government in Australia and Canada standing at 61 per cent and 59 per cent, respectively. It is also slightly lower than the UK where the government’s Brexit strategyhas proven highly controversial with public approval of the institution 45 per cent in late 2020.

The research found that people in India and China have the highest trust at 82 percent and 70 percent, respectively. The figure was far lower in the United States at 54 percent while it was lower still in Russia at just 34 percent.

Chinese business owners have shared with RT Mediathat they are confident wit the way the government is handling the economy and the confidence foreigners have in doing business with China. This is being reflected in the business transactions which have continued, with some reporting that business increased in 2020 over 2021.

来源：再生时代