CGTN Poll: China's Global Civilization Initiative brings stability to turbulent world

As the international community, amid complexity and turbulence, is going through unpredictable and profound changes, China's Global Civilization Initiative brings stability to a turbulent world. A survey jointly conducted by CGTN and Renmin University of China through the New Era International Communication Research Institute, covering 12,302 respondents from 41 countries around the world, shows that respondents speak positively of the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China. They generally believe that the core concepts of the Initiative, such as respecting the diversity of civilizations and promoting the common values of humanity, are of greater practical significance amid the current international situation.

China sticks to allowing cultural exchanges to transcend estrangement, mutual learning to transcend clashes, and coexistence to transcend feelings of superiority. In the survey, 90.8% of respondents believe that respecting the diversity of civilizations is a fundamental principle that the international community should follow. 77.2% of respondents hold that no civilization is superior to another. 87.7% say all civilizations should be treated equally, among which respondents from Africa and South America demonstrate stronger recognition of the equality of all civilizations, with those in agreement standing at 93.1% and 90.3%, respectively.

China always believes that peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom are the common aspirations of all peoples. In the survey, 91.8% of respondents highly recognize this view and say different civilizations should prioritize win-win cooperation over confrontation. 87.7% of respondents believe that peace and development remain the main themes of the present world. 81% call on countries to set aside ideological bias and respect the diversity of civilizations. 88.1% state that no country should impose its values on others or engage in ideological confrontation, and the top 10 countries in terms of agreement are all from the Global South.

In an era of economic globalization, what we need is not building moats that divide, but building bridges for communication; not iron curtains of confrontation, but broad roads for cooperation. In the survey, 87.4% of respondents believe that dialogue among civilizations can effectively reduce international conflicts and promote world peace, among which respondents from Africa and South America demonstrate stronger recognition, with the figure standing at 93.5% and 91.6%, respectively. 89.5% of respondents hold that exchanges among civilizations have provided an important foundation for international cooperation. 89.8% of respondents say that exchanges and interactions among different civilizations can promote the common progress of humanity, among which those aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 show higher recognition, with the figure reaching 91.8% and 91.6%, respectively.

The survey was conducted online via a sample database, with the sample chosen in line with the age and gender distribution in national censuses, covering major developed countries and representative countries of the Global South.

(Cover: The opening ceremony of the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Civilizations Dialogue./ VCG)