Committee of 100/Zogby Survey Finds General Public and Business Leader Views Aligned on China, but Congressional Staff at Variance with Prevailing Views

Business Wire, April 6, 2005

WASHINGTON -- While the American general public and business leaders are aligned in increasingly favorable views toward China, the views of Congressional Staff members are at variance with those of the other groups, according to newly released data compiled by Zogby International for the Committee of 100, an organization of Chinese American leaders.

The survey of the general public, whose initial findings were released in January 2005, indicates that 59% of Americans have a favorable view of China today, as compared with 46% ten years ago. Although not specifically polled ten years ago, the current survey shows that 63% of Business Leaders had a favorable impression of China, versus only 19% of Congressional Staff.

In terms of the U.S.-China relationship, 27% of Congressional Staff described the relationship as improving as compared with 45% of the General Public and 43% of Business Leaders.

All three groups - the General Public (63%), Business Leaders (77%) and Congressional Staff (57%) - tend to view low-cost products manufactured in China as beneficial to the American public. In a surprise finding of the general public survey, even union households (63%, the same as for the general public) indicated an appreciation for low-cost goods made in China.

On the question of sources of job losses, all three groups (General Public-52%, Business Leaders-48% and Congressional Staff 51%) described the phenomenon as "severe," relative to China, more so than for India or Mexico. Union households and even those who have lost jobs track with the general public views indicating limited backlash against China over job losses.

In a similar vein, the three groups generally see trade between the United States and China in a positive light: 82 percent of the Business Leaders see trade as a benefit, as compared with 73 percent of the General Public and 67 percent of Congressional Staff.

More distinct disparities are evident on the question of China's emergence as a global economic power: Whereas the General Public (24%) and Business Leaders (30%) see China as an economic threat to the United States, 54% of Congressional Staff view China as an economic threat.

Similarly, the General Public (15%) and Business Leaders (16%) in lesser numbers described China as a serious military threat, while a significantly greater percentage of Congressional Staff members (36%) described China as posing a serious military threat.

Human rights is the top concern expressed by the general public (46%) and Congressional Staff (54%), while Business Leaders cite intellectual property concerns as the top concern (53%) and human rights as the second concern (49%). And on the subject of the U.S.-led war on terror, 27% of the American General Public and 25% of Business Leaders described China as a dependable ally, as compared with 16% of Congressional Staff.

For those polled who answered the question, "If a declaration of independence by Taiwan leads to hostilities, should the U.S. commit military forces to defend Taiwan?": 32% of the General Public said yes, and 59% said no. On that same question, Congressional Staffers answered 52% yes, 19% no, and 29% not sure; Business Leaders were evenly divided.

"The Committee of 100 is heartened that the dominant American attitudes toward China are positive and constructive," commented Robert Lee, Chairman of the Committee of 100. "It's our belief that the US and China, two great powers, must continue to find ways of working together for a more productive and peaceful world."

According to pollster John Zogby, "Given the importance of China in the world, its importance and potential as a strategic ally for the US, and the importance of China as a consumer of American products, it is essential that China be better understood by all of us in this country, and especially by our national leaders."

The Committee of 100/Zogby Survey on American Attitudes Toward China has been conducted in two phases: Phase I (General Public and Opinion Leaders) was conducted in December 2004 with findings released January 2005 (see www. committee100.org for more information). Phase II, comprised of two new segments, business leaders and Congressional staff members, was conducted in March 2005.

The Business Leader sample consists of chief executives, communications directors, corporate board members, and other top officers at major companies throughout the United States. Business leaders were polled from March 17 through 30, 2005. The margin of error for this sample is /-8.3%.

The Congressional Staff sample is comprised of chiefs of staff, legislative counsels, legislative directors, legislative assistants, press secretaries, and staff assistants; 48.5% of the sample is Democratic; 36.6% is Republican and the remaining 14.9% is Independent, Libertarian or other. Congressional staff were polled from March 17 through March 24, 2005. The margin of error for this sample is /-9.9%.

The General Public was polled in December 2004 and consisted of 1202 randomly selected adults nationwide. There is a margin of error for this sample of /- 2.9%.