Unprecedented: An in depth look into attitudes to China across 2020 alongside an investigation into how respondents make decisions at surveys

This essay was written by Lower Sixth Form student Joshua Inglesfield as an Independent Learning Assignment (ILA). It was shortlisted for the 2023 ILA/ ORIS award. The following provides a short abstract of the full report:

The Covid-19 Pandemic has been extensively shown to have contributed to declining attitudes to the PRC. Various organisations, including the Pew Research Institute and TUC of Wales, have reported how the coronavirus pandemic has led to increases in such unfavourable attitudes. However, no studies have specifically examined whether the trend is a result of conscious bias regarding the pandemic, whereby citizens actively view the PRC more negatively due to their handling of the pandemic, or subconscious bias, whereby citizens view the PRC more negatively due to a broader sentiment change influenced by undertones and subliminal messaging in society (caused by the PRCs handling of Covid) as opposed to active views regarding the PRC and the pandemic. Thus, in this study I aim to not only examine how British attitudes to China have been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, but also determine whether the trend in attitudes seen is a result of subconscious bias following the pandemic, or conscious bias regarding the pandemic. Through unique methods such as precise analysis of daily new COVID-19 cases alongside attitude figures, as well as the designing of unique fieldwork to determine the biases prevalent, I have enabled the research into the pandemic’s impact on global attitudes to China to be breadthened, adding new dimensions to debate on the topic. Overall, I conclude that the United Kingdom saw, as with other Western nations, a marked increase in negative sentiment to the PRC in 2020. Further investigation then reveals an undeniable link between daily new COVID-19 cases and negative attitudes, with greater levels of negative attitudes to the PRC occurring in periods of higher infection rates. With regards to biases, I show that subconscious bias was the primary driver of negative attitudes to the PRC as a result of the pandemic, with individuals likely acting upon subliminal messages and undertones they are exposed to, such as speeches by political figures criticising the PRC, rather than them actively recognising the PRC’s actions in the pandemic and forming opinions from such recognition.

To view Joshua’s full report, follow this link below: