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11 Oct, 2014

Tourism, advertising ‘least trusted’ industries in China: survey

Beijing, People’s Daily Online, 2014-10-09 – Although the Chinese people’s trust in society has improved, there are certain industries that have a long way to, a new survey shows.

The third China Social Psychology Research Report, released Wednesday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, shows a general improvement in social trust, especially in government and media, but trust in some industries such as tourism and advertising was declining.

Conducted last November, the survey collected 2,216 samples in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Harbin.

Overall social trust scored a passing grade with 60.9 points, and improved government image was one of the major reasons, according to the survey. Anti-graft and anti-extravagance campaigns have helped improve people’s trust in government officials, police officers and courts.

Public trust in media, especially state-owned traditional media, also notched up, contributing to higher overall social trust. Social media websites, corporate websites and shopping sites received failing grades however.

Of all the industries, tourism and advertising fell into the “highly distrusted” category. Readings of the two were 48.0 and 42.6 points respectively, well below passing.

The survey also shows that Chinese people’s stress mostly comes from employment, housing, and relationships and marriage.