Center for social climate research

Recently the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences set up a new center for social climate research. This center is affiliated with the National Institute of Social Development, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences..
Social climate originates from the observation of changes in objective elements of social environments and manifests itself in analysis of subjective elements such as public consent, social cohesion and political stability, which differs from country to country and varies in different national traditions.
Since 2012 the research teams from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and from the National Institute of Social Development in the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (NISD) have been trying to set up the scales of social climate and index of social confidence in China. In their studies, social climate and social development were analyzed through the study of subjective perception and social attitude. These research projects were based upon a proposition that people’s subjective perception was a reflection on the objective social phenomena.It is believed that through scales of social climate and index of social confidence they could get relatively clear pictures about the social situation in current Chinese society.It is to expect that with the establishment of this new research center the research team will be able to make great success on the topic of social climate research.
The major tasks from this center are
Analyze the situation of social climate and social confidence in China, based on the national social survey;
Conduct longitudinal study of social changes in current Chinese Society;
Provide research report and recommendations for policy makers;
Construct database for the Chinese social development and social change based on the annually conducted national social survey with the purpose that the data could be used and analyzed in the international social sciences community and compared with other national social survey for further intensive research.
The Center of Social Climate Research (CSCR) is headed by Professor Li Hanlin, also the director general at the National Institute of Social Development (NISD). CSCR aims to develop an empirically based on the theory of social change and social development. It also seeks to build a bridge between theory and policy and to contribute to political debate on social change and social development in the current Chinese Society. CSCR is to try to provide its researchers and fellows who are working with CSCR with good working environments and to promote their continuing professional development.