October 20, 2015 – A new YouGov poll finds that Brits see an expanded relationship with China in their future, with the roll of Europe as their largest trading partner diminishing. While currently the largest number of respondents (40%) say Europe is the most important trading partner for the UK, when asked which “areas” they expect to be the most valuable trade partner in 20 years, 29 per cent said China, compared to 22 per cent who said it will continue to be Europe.
Canadian perspectives were similarly bullish when the Angus Reid Institute asked them about trade with China in April of 2015. Two-in-five (40%) Canadians said trade with China should be a top economic priority for the country, though traditional partners the US and Europe still received strong support.
Respondents to the YouGov poll were also asked whether or not they perceive this growing relationship with China as a positive for the UK or as a negative. The largest number of respondents (36%) said they believe that China’s growth will benefit Western nations while roughly a quarter (26%) disagree, and say that growth for the Asian power will come at a cost to the West. More than one-quarter (27%) of respondents said they are unsure of how it will play out.
More results from the poll:
54 per cent of respondents say the Chinese economy will become stronger over the next 20 years – just 14 per cent say it will weaken.
Nearly half of respondents (47%) say Mandarin Chinese is the most difficult language to learn. Arabic was chosen second (12%)
Fewer than one-third (29%) of Brits say they have a positive view of China. More than half (55%) say their view of the country is negative.
When asked what words best describe Chinese consumer products, the most popular answer (61%) was “cheap”.
Methodology: An online sample of 1,559 British adults. Weighted for region, gender, age and social class. Margin of error +/- 3%