The Ordinary Chinese Citizens’ Perceptions of the EU: Tracing and Comparing Changes in a Decade

Surveys conducted in 2010 showed that even though most of the ordinary Chinese citizens did not understand the EU very well, their impressions of the EU were nevertheless very positive, and they also harboured good expectations for the future of China–EU relations. Such goodwill toward and positive impressions about the EU were largely explained in the context that the majority of respondents viewed China and the EU as partners then. Since March 2019 however, the tide has turned, and China has been labelled as the EU’s “systemic rival”. The Sino-EU relationship is becoming increasingly challenging and it is therefore relevant to gauge the present Chinese perception of the EU, and to understand whether and why the Chinese public’s assessment of the bilateral relationship has changed in the last decade. This paper draws on original data from a survey of 3000 Chinese citizens in six major cities conducted in fall 2020. While drawing on the core questionnaire from the 2010 survey in order to compare the change of Chinese perceptions of the EU over time, the 2020 survey featured a more comprehensive set of survey questions that include recent events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and new policies from the EU side. Our study therefore uncovers the Chinese respondents’ perceptions toward the EU in a multi-faceted way. Indicators such as education attainment, annual income level, EU travel experience, and internet dependence will be examined to determine the influence of respondents’ personal background on the forming of their opinion.