The consensus abroad is that China’s Central Government has been very effective at promoting itself as the true ruler of China, even going as far to remove the evils of western thought from Chinese classrooms. But people in China may be bigger fans of democracy than first thought, at least if a poll among students in Beijing is to be believed.

The municipal committee of Beijing commissioned a large-scale poll involving one percent of all Beijing youth, and found 83 percent said they strongly agreed or agreed with the statement: “Democracy is very important to me.” Students from 16 districts ranging from the first year of middle school to the last year of high school took the questionnaire and were interviewed as part of the process. More than 6,000 middle school students and nearly 4,000 high school students were involved.

Students often understand democracy through the election of class monitors, which is done by a popular vote. Eighty percent of poll respondents said they voted for the student they believed to be best suited for the position; eight percent said they voted for themselves; seven percent said they voted for people they had strong ties with; while six percent said they didn’t care who won saying the ballot is meaningless. Furthermore, while democracy seems to be popular, 70 percent of students said they were looking forward to joining the Communist Party.Furthermore, while democracy seems to be popular, 70 percent of students said they were looking forward to joining the Communist Party.

The poll also revealed a few other things about Beijing youth. Twenty percent say they get less than six hours of sleep each night, with 39 percent saying they are under “a lot of stress” or “great stress”. When encountering a personal problem, 53 percent of respondents say they will turn to a friend or classmate while 22 percent say they turn to no one. Only 23 percent of Beijing students say they will get their parents to help.

The poll also shows that Beijing students are ambitious, with 70 percent describing themselves as hard workers but only 22 percent saying they are “satisfied” with their efforts.