First Asia Harris Poll Released Comparing Attitudes in China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore and the United States

NEW YORK, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The economic balance in the global marketplace has been shifting for quite some time, but the importance of the various Asian economies has never been as crucial as it is now, with the world coming out of what was a truly global economic crisis. There is now a huge importance in examining attitudes in Asia on issues, comparing them among each other, as well as comparing them to attitudes in the United States. When it comes to how optimistic people are about their own country's economy over the next ten years, strong majorities of adults in China (81%), Hong Kong (72%), Singapore (70%) and India (63%) are optimistic compared to just half of Americans (49%).

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These are some of the results of The Harris Poll, the first one to be conducted by Harris Interactive in Asia, and in which 4,251 adults were surveyed online in Singapore, Hong Kong, China and India (February 14 and 21, 2011) and the U.S. (January 17 and 24, 2011).  "For over 40 years, the Harris Poll has been a respected barometer of public opinion in the United States and more recently in Europe.   Today, we are proud to bring the Harris Poll to Asia, recognizing the importance of understanding the pulse of the Asian consumer in today's marketplace," commented Kimberly Till, President and CEO, Harris Interactive.

Future trends

One area where there are slight differences is which economy people believe will be the most influential in 10 years. China is the top choice for Hong Kong residents (87%), the Chinese (85%) and Singaporeans (75%) Four in five Indians (80%) believe India will be most influential. Americans are more divided as half (49%) believe it will be China while two in five (39%) say it will be the U.S.

China seems to have a much more aggressive picture of their ability to sustain their growth, with 53% of Chinese indicating that they believe they will be the most powerful country in 2050 versus 35% of Indians who believe the same about their own country. Singapore seems to show a more balanced picture with an even split between those who think India (26%) and China (27%) will be the most powerful country in 2050.  Two in five Americans (41%) believe the U.S. will be most powerful in 2050 while one-third (32%) say it will be China.

Looking at the next big player in the global economy, while two in five Hong Kong residents (40%) believe it will be Hong Kong, so do 42% of Americans, 40% of Chinese and 40% of Indians. Almost half of Singaporeans (46%) say Singapore will be the next big player, but so do 58% of Indians, 38% of Chinese and one-third of Hong Kong residents (33%). Korea is another country seen as an emerging player according to three in ten Singaporeans (31%), Chinese (30%), and Indians (29%) as well as one quarter of Americans (27%) and Hong Kong residents (26%).

So What?

Clearly no one country operates in isolation and the general perception now is that most countries are embracing the growth in China and India. The next step is to truly ensure that economies become global and embrace the potential of working with the growth in these countries while, at the same time, looking to see what the next country to emerge will be. How that changes in the months and years ahead will be important as countries will need to adapt quickly.  

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States (from January 17 to 24) and Singapore, Hong Kong, India and China (from February 14 to February 21, 2011) among 4,521 adults (aged 18 and over). The number of people surveyed in each country is as follows:

Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll® #29, March 3, 2011

By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com or contact [email protected].

SOURCE Harris Interactive