How China's Citizens View the Quality of Governance Under Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping has emphasized the need to improve the quality of governance and to crack down on corruption. The article uses a unique set of survey data from 2003 to 2014 to evaluate how Chinese citizens perceive the performance of their local officials. The findings confirm the view that Chinese citizens “disaggregate” the state with satisfaction dropping as government gets closer to the people. Officials are seen to have become more competent and friendly in their dealings with citizens. Satisfaction tends to be higher with the provision of those public goods that the old planning system was good at delivering and are more concerned about the household-based challenges that the reforms have brought. Environmental worries have risen and citizens feel that progress has been made in the fight against corruption but this may have created a more critical view of local officials.