Public image should be part of assessment: scholar
Officials from the central government enjoy more popularity among the public than those who work at local levels, said a recent survey.
The poll, conducted by Zhang Jiehai, a professor at the Institute of Sociology at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, surveyed 504 Shanghai residents in January and February about "what kind of officials are likable by the public."
The survey showed that officials from the central government are more popular than those who work at the provincial or municipal level and below.
Zhang told the Global Times on Sunday that the results reflected respondents' shared feeling that their voices provoke a more rapid response from the central government than from lower-level officials.
As for the evaluation of three top world leaders, Chinese President Xi Jinping scored an average of 9.14 points out of 10 among young respondents, higher than US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I have talked to many college students, and they said that they are highly supportive of Xi's anti-corruption measures," Zhang said.
Moreover, the survey also compared the public popularity of officials in Shanghai and Chongqing municipalities, as well as those in Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces.
It showed that 65.63 percent of respondents said there is no difference between the officials in the four regions, while 23.96 percent said that Shanghai officials are most popular, followed by those in Guangdong, Chongqing and Shaanxi.
When asked "what kind of interactions with the public are valued the most," respondents said that officials directly answering people's questions during live broadcasts was most valued, assigning such interactions 4.17 out of 5 points.
Other interactions or performances like "choosing economy class when flying" and "eating in restaurants or shopping in stores like an ordinary person" also won great popularity, earning higher scores than "dining with miners and migrant workers" and "talking to civilians."
Zhang suggested that public impressions of officials be included as indicators in official assessments. He also emphasized that all officials' interactions with the public should be praised.
"Previously, the public questioned whether photos posted online of officials taking the bus or shopping in supermarkets were 'stunts.' However, the public and media outlets should not criticize their actions, rather, such behaviors should be encouraged," said Zhang.
He also said officials can learn from Western politicians about how to interact with the public both on social media and in real life.
In a more detailed analysis, Zhang said provincial-level officials are the key to improving the overall performance of Chinese officials.
He said the performance of provincial-level officials is no better than that of county-level officials. However, they do not deal with common citizens on a daily basis as do lower-level officials. At the same time, they lack the extensive media coverage enjoyed by top-level officials.
Zhang called China's culture of officialdom one of the biggest obstacles in improving public interaction.
