News, Articles & Reviews

Satisfied with the direction your country is headed? The Chinese sure are. The rising nation tops the list of optimistic countries with a glass much more full than those of trailing countries. Eighty-six percent of the Chinese are content with China's direction, compared to 61 percent in second place Australia, according to the Pew Research Center. Eighty-two percent of the Chinese are also happy with their economy.

Economic growth and national excitement surrounding the Beijing Olympics seems to be boosting China's civic mood — in 2002, only 48 percent of the Chinese responded positively. But the people still have their concerns, most notably, worries about inflation, rising prices, and environmental degradation burden the Chinese.

To see how other countries compare to China, and who makes the list of the top-10 most optimistic countries read more.

Who is happy with the direction their country is headed?

1. China — 86 percent content
2. Australia — 61 percent content
3. Russia — 54 percent content
4. Spain — 50 percent content
5. Jordan — 49 percent content
6. Poland — 42 percent content
7. India — 41 percent content
8. Egypt — 40 percent content
9. South Africa — 36 percent content
10. Germany — 34 percent content

And some other favorites:

* France — 29 percent content
* United States — 23 percent content
* Lebanon — 6 percent content

With China and Russia on top and the US and France decidedly not — do any of the placements surprise you?

Source