Asian Survey Web Site Launched

Researchers and journalists now have access to an online English-language database of policy-oriented opinion surveys conducted by news and research agencies in Japan, Korea and China. The database is compiled by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, which aims to promote understanding and co-operation between Asia and the US.

The surveys appearing on the new Asian Opinion Poll Database focus on key public attitudes, including views towards the US, perceptions of China's rising power and the potential North Korean threat, and support for national governments and administrations.

The database, which received initial funding from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, features polls conducted by the Nikkei Shimbun (Japan), Cabinet Office (Japan), Joong-Ang Ilbo (South Korea), and Dong-A Ilbo (South Korea). The Foundation plans to expand this list and to add commentary and analysis.

The Foundation's Director of Programs, Weston Konishi, explains how the site came about: 'In the course of our work to improve US understanding of Asia, we discovered that there was no central site where researchers, journalists and others could access English translations of public opinion surveys conducted in Japan, South Korea and China.'

He adds: 'Because there is no other research tool like it, we expect that the database will become a valued resource for tracking public opinion trends that have important implications for US-Asia relations and regional policymaking.'

The Foundation is online at www.mansfieldfdn.org.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.