Social mentality refers to the feelings and experiences of a society’s members regarding their life circumstances, reflecting the common psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns of the majority. Photo: TUCHONG

Social mentality refers to the feelings and experiences that members of society have regarding their concrete life circumstances. It reflects how the public evaluates social phenomena and anticipates the direction of social development. Social mentality is both a projection of social realities and problems, and an important force shaping those realities. To gain a clearer understanding of the current state and dynamics of social mentality in China, this paper analyzes the characteristics and evolution of 10 core indicators across four rounds of the Chinese Social Mentality Survey (CSMS) conducted in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023. On this basis, it outlines three pathways for cultivating social mentality.

The CSMS was conducted by the Center for Social Psychology Studies of the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences through a randomized, in-person household survey using a 7-point scoring system. Sampling followed a stratified design based on national census data and used probability proportional to size. The survey included urban and rural residents aged 18 to 70 who had lived at their current address for at least six months, covering 31 provincial-level regions in the country.

Characteristics of contemporary social mentality

The study shows that contemporary social mentality presents several notable features.

First, demands for a better life across all dimensions continue to trend upward, yet actual life experiences still fall short of ideal expectations. Using two scales—Needs for a Better Life and Experience of a Better Life—the study examined respondents’ subjective evaluations and feelings across three dimensions: national and social environment, personal material conditions, and family and social relationships. Across the four survey rounds, scores on the Needs for a Better Life scale across all dimensions are consistently high, with means ranging from 5.52 and 6.05. Meanwhile, scores on the Experience of a Better Life scale for each dimension showed means ranging from 4.69 and 5.70—moderately above average yet consistently lower than the corresponding needs scores. This indicates a persistent gap between lived experience and ideal expectations.

Second, subjective well-being is moderately above average, and the proportion inclined toward happiness shows an overall rising trend. In the four surveys, scores on the life satisfaction scale were 4.95, 5.03, 5.07, and 5.02, respectively. Categorizing scores into three groups—tending toward unhappiness, neutral, and tending toward happiness—the proportions tending toward happiness were 68.69%, 71.38%, 78.55%, and 76.42%, respectively.

Third, the sense of gain is also moderately above average, though scores vary across its dimensions. Sense of gain reflects the public’s subjective cognition, emotional experience, and behavioral experience regarding the process and outcomes of needs being met in the course of social development. The Sense of Gain scale used in this study is divided into five dimensions: content of gain, experience of gain, gain environment, channels of gain, and sharing of gain. The overall mean score for sense of gain in 2023 was 5.43—moderately above average, with scores varying across its different dimensions.

Fourth, the sense of security is at a moderately above-average level, with higher security perceptions in the domains of personal safety, property, labor, and transportation. Sense of security assesses feelings of safety in everyday life with respect to personal safety, personal and household property, transportation, medical services and pharmaceuticals, food, labor, personal information, the environment, and the overall social situation. Overall, social life security scores are moderately above average, with means spanning 5.26 to 5.37, while the annual means of the various social security indicators ranged from 4.53 to 5.41.

Fifth, perceived life stress shows a downward trend, with prices, medical care, and income as the main sources of stress, while pressures in interpersonal domains are relatively small. Respondents’ perceived life stress was measured across 13 areas: prices, medical care, transportation, personal or family income, work or study, supporting elderly parents, employment of self or family members, children’s education, housing, health of self or family, family member relationships, neighborhood/classmate/colleague relationships, and marriage/romantic relationships. Over the past years, overall life pressure scores have been at a moderately below-average level.

Sixth, perceived social support is overall at a moderately above-average level, with family and friends serving as the main sources of support. Perceived social support was measured with a self-developed scale assessing the positive support experienced in different interpersonal interactions—including emotional care, respect, and assistance—across four sources: family, friends, government agencies, and social organizations.

Seventh, most respondents recognize overall social fairness and equality of opportunity—overall perceptions of fairness have long remained moderately above average. Perceived social fairness in this study comprises two dimensions: perceptions of overall social fairness and equality of opportunity. The four survey results show mean scores for overall fairness of 4.60, 4.70, 5.06, and 4.63, respectively, all at a moderately above-average level. Regarding equality of opportunity, mean scores on perceived upward mobility were 4.70, 4.66, 4.82, and 4.74, respectively.

Eighth, general social trust is moderately above average, with slight fluctuations in recent years, while trust in strangers remains persistently low. This study measures social trust using two indicators: general trust and trust in strangers. Overall, general trust is at a moderately above-average level, whereas trust in strangers is moderately below average.

Ninth, national identity remains at a relatively high level. National identity was measured with a self-developed scale that includes items such as “I often feel proud of my country’s achievements,” with higher scores indicating stronger national identity.

Tenth, micro-level expectations are at a slightly above-average level. Among macro-level expectations, the public’s expectations for China’s international status and for the level of social governance are particularly strong. Social expectations encompass both micro-level personal life domains—such as income changes, consumption willingness, and career development—and macro-level matters of national political and economic conditions.

In terms of micro expectations, the study asked respondents how they judge changes over the next five years in personal income, indebtedness, asset value, job or occupational stability, and personal development. For macro expectations, respondents were asked to judge changes in confidence in government, China’s international status, economic conditions, employment conditions, ecological environment, and the level of social governance over the same timeframe.

The data revealed that micro expectations regarding income, indebtedness, asset value, job stability, and personal development are generally slightly above average, with means of 4.82, 4.67, 4.65, 4.57, and 4.10, respectively. The percentages of respondents who believe income level, asset value, job stability, and personal development will improve in the next five years were 51.61%, 57.76%, 50.53%, and 57.18%, respectively. Overall macro expectations regarding China’s international status, level of social governance, ecological environment, confidence in government, economic situation, and employment situation are at a moderately above-average level, with means of 5.42, 5.40, 5.16, 5.03, 4.97, and 4.85, respectively; the percentages who believe these areas will improve in the next five years were 73.03%, 81.44%, 75.39%, 67.19%, 76.94%, and 82.80%, respectively.

Cultivation of positive social mentality

Social mentality develops over a given period under the influence of social environment and culture. It denotes the common and consistent psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns exhibited by the majority of society, becoming a template that influences the behavior of each individual member. In this sense, social mentality can be cultivated.

Foster a foundational mentality: The foundational mentality emerges when individual and social needs are met and constitutes the basis for stabilizing social expectations. Experience of a better life, subjective well-being, and sense of gain exert strong positive effects on micro expectations, while sense of security significantly bolsters macro expectations. Life pressure, however, undermines both. The national and social environment, personal material conditions, and family and social relationships are all important for achieving a better life. The survey finds that experiences related to the personal material dimension are relatively weak, while perceived pressures of life in various aspects—especially in areas such as employment, income, work, and study—are rising. Addressing this dynamic requires continuously strengthening social security and public livelihood programs, paying attention to disadvantaged groups, and fully meeting basic livelihood needs to satisfy the public’s needs for a better life and effectively enhance the public’s sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Cultivate a supportive mentality: Social support, social trust, perceived social fairness, and national identity are key factors that positively influence both micro and macro expectations. Therefore, social governance should further uphold social fairness and justice, improve the social security system, and strengthen social support capacities. The survey finds that perceived pressures in areas such as personal or household income, supporting elderly parents, and children’s education are on the rise. Given demographic trends such as low fertility and population aging, promoting the healthy development of eldercare and childcare services is an important task of social governance.

Facilitate a developmental mentality: With global changes accelerating and uncertainty on the rise, fostering a forward-looking social mentality is especially critical. Survey data show that respondents’ perceived social status and five-year expectations have generally risen—with a dip in 2022 and slight rebound in 2023. Expectations of social mobility reflect confidence in the future, though fluctuating expectations can signal social risks, potentially breeding dissatisfaction or perceptions of social unfairness. Attention should therefore be paid to fostering rational and reasonable public expectations. This requires integrating the cultivation of a positive social mentality with place-based governance, continuously strengthening the social psychological services system, and enhancing the modernization of primary-level governance.

Wang Junxiu is a research fellow from the Institute of Sociology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This article has been edited and excerpted from People’s Tribune, Issue 12, 2025.