The Pew Global Attitudes Project yesterday published its report “The 2008 Pew Global Attitudes Survey in China” (PDF file!).  Some interesting data there.

      One noticeable result, which Roland picked up on also, is the high level of satisfaction with the direction of national and economic development.  Chinese are generally more satisfied with their conditions than people in any other country polled.  They are also more satisfied than they were when surveyed in 2002; then 48% were satisfied with the “way things are going in the country;” and  52% were satisfied with the “current economic situation.”  In 2008, those percentages have grown to 86% and 82% respectively.  There are, of course, concerns voiced over problems like corruption and pollution; but the general thrust of the report is high levels of satisfaction.  65% feel that the government is doing a good job in “addressing critical issues.”

      The country is, rather famously, undergoing a period of extremely rapid economic, social and cultural change.  Politics are changing, too, though in less dramatic fashion.  Thus, given high levels of satisfaction, it is consistent that Chinese people polled would be comfortable with the pace of change.  Here are the results:

Most are happy with the pace of modern life in China. About seven-in-ten (71%) say they like the pace of modern life, while just one-quarter do not. Slightly more Chinese are happy with the pace of life today (71%) than were in 2002 (65%).

Satisfaction with the pace of modern life is greater among young people – 77% of those ages 18-29 are happy with it compared with 66% of those ages 50 years or older.

There are also differences among educational groups – nearly eight-in-ten (78%) Chinese with a college education or more are comfortable with the tempo of life, compared with roughly seven-in-ten of those with a high school education (68%) or less (70%).

People living in rural areas (74%) are slightly more likely than city-dwellers (69%) to be comfortable with the speed of 21st century life. The pace of modernity is also especially popular in eastern China (77% vs. 67% in central and western China).

    What strikes me here is the high levels of comfort among those who might be expected to be having a harder time adjusting to the faster pace of modern life: two-thirds of people over fifty – I would have guessed that number to be lower.  And 70% of those will less than a high school education. It would seem that significant numbers of people from various social strata are able to take advantage of the economic and social freedoms afforded by freer market conditions.

    And what of tradition?  The survey reports, as one would expect, that many people feel a loss of tradition:

Even though most Chinese approve of modern life, many also worry about fading traditions. Most Chinese (59%) think their traditional way of life is getting lost, and this view is especially common among young, well-educated, wealthy, and urban Chinese – groups that are particularly likely to be involved in the fast paced culture of modern China.

Two-thirds of those ages 18-29 are convinced that traditional ways of life are being lost, men in this age group (72%) are especially inclined to feel this sense of loss (compared with 62% of women ages 18-29).

When it comes to income, the more money a family has, the more likely they believe time-honored daily practices are getting lost. Two-thirds of high-income earners sense a loss of traditions, compared with six-in-ten in the middle-income group and 54% of those with low incomes.

      Interestingly, the poll did not inquire as to whether people felt this loss was good or bad. Rich young people might be especially aware of fading traditions, but how many of them are also saying “good riddance.”  They may understand “tradition” as a fetter on the modernization they are so comfortable with.  We can’t know from this survey, but I suspect that a fair number of people are not deeply sad that traditions are receding.  A bit of nostalgia for a past they never really knew or experienced, but not a passion to limit the rapidly rising modernity.

        Indeed, I would push back some against the notion of fading tradition.  Yes, many facets of “traditional China” have disappeared – but they had disappeared already in the twentieth century.  The survey, however, shows how at least one element of “traditional China” (a problematic term) has extended into the present, an element that may come as much from Taoism as from any other aspect of tradition:

          When it comes to the issue of what determines success in life – outside forces or
          the individual – the Chinese people overwhelmingly believe it is determined by
           forces beyond an individual’s control. About six-in-ten Chinese (62%) agree,
           many completely (14%), with the notion that success in life is largely determined
          by outside forces. One-third disagree, while only 4% completely disagree. These
         figures have changed little since last year, when 65% agreed and 30% disagreed.

          In the 2007 poll, China emerged as one of the least individualistic nations on the
         survey on this particular measure, ranking 40th out of 47 countries in terms of
         levels of disagreement with the idea that success is mostly beyond an individual’s
         control. The U.S. and Canada tied for the top spot – in both countries, 64%
        disagreed.

       I would dispute the interpretation that this question establishes a measure of “individualism.”  It seems to me to be an indicator of fatalism.  Even though an individual may work hard, his or her ultimate experience or success in life is, in the end, determined by forces beyond his or her control.  One can be both individualistic and fatalistic.  One can both understand oneself as a unique, self-possessed individual in the world, who works hard and strives for success, but also understand fate as a larger force that can intervene decisively in even the most well-ordered life.

      And that, to my mind, is a Taoist idea.  Not only a Taoist idea (it infuses other world views as well) but one that is
deeply knit into a Taoist mind set.  And the extent to which fatalism appears to be more prominent in China than, say, the US, suggests that a diffuse Taoist sensibility also remains.  Way is, after all, bigger that all of us and moves in ways we can never fathom.