Public opinion analysts get exam recognition

Certification program aims to assist policymakers and reduce malpractice

China is set to officially recognize the profession of public opinion analysts, a move insiders say will help policymakers better understand and engage with society.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security plans to issue its first batch of certificates for public opinion analysts in mid-December.

On Sept 5, the ministry's China Employment Training Technical Instruction Center and people.com.cn, a news portal run by People's Daily, jointly launched a training and testing program for the profession.

"We have received a lot of inquiries since the launch," said Gu Wenjie, a spokesman for the program at people.com.cn.

Trainees will take classes on eight courses, including theory, analysis methods and crisis intervention in the first four and a half days. After the training program and written and online exams, qualified trainees will receive a certificate within 60 days.

"The first batch of certificates will be issued in mid-December," he said.

Gu, who has been working as a public opinion analyst since 2007, said he and his colleagues monitor all domestic websites, forums, blogs, micro blogs and other social media platforms every day.

After finding out about a client's requirements, Gu said special software will be activated to capture relevant online information and then use statistical techniques to analyze this and write an analysis report.

Feng Jingshan, deputy Party chief of Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the government has viewed the Internet as an important channel to understand public concerns.

"We need people to do real-time analysis on public sentiment online. It is an effective way to communicate with the public, to get informed about their reflections about the government's management and to adjust our policies accordingly," Feng said, adding that high-ranking Party and government officials in Kashgar receive a briefing once a week on online public opinion from secretaries or publicity departments.

He said the local government improved its policies to regulate the use of electric bikes on the road by adopting suggestions from citizens collected online.

"E-bikes are a common transportation option for people in Kashgar, but the increasing numbers of such vehicles mean they have become a major threat to traffic safety, so we introduced new regulations such as exclusive e-bike lanes and banning them on certain road sections," he said.