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Choose one of the press headlines, input the names of the members of the group in the comment section and discuss which of the following functions of media predominates in the story and why. You can use the comment section to take notes if needed (10 minutes):

a) providing the basis on which groups and classes construct an “image” of the lives, meanings, practices, and values of other groups and classes;

(b) providing the images, representations, and ideas around which the social totality, composed of all these separate and fragmented pieces, can be coherently grasped as a “whole”.”

Then, choose someone from your group to share the main points of your discussion with the class.  (1-3 minutes)

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Melody Sage, who is queer, and Rosco Kickingstone, a transgender man, wed before the Trans March during San Francisco Pride, on the day that Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Melody Sage, left, and Rosco Kickingstone were married June 24 at the Helen Diller Playground in San Francisco's Mission Dolores Park. Credit... Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times

While dancing around a bonfire to the rhythms of a drum circle in May 2013, Melody Christine Dankemeyer, who goes by the name Melody Sage, felt "a tingling rush of energy" course through her body.

It was at that moment when she turned around and caught sight of Rosco Kickingstone Siragusa, who goes by Rosco Kickingstone.

The two introduced themselves, but Ms. Sage could only manage a short conversation with Mr. Kickingstone before she danced away. "I was overwhelmed," she said, describing the sensation as "such a strong feeling that I had never experienced."

The day after the bonfire, their paths crossed again. Ms. Sage said that Mr. Kickingstone, who had jumped out of a tree and broke his foot just hours before they met, was not difficult to track down.

"I joke that he was easy prey," she said.

Their second conversation lasted a lot longer. She told him about her pirate radio show, Chicas Unidas, which featured female guests discussing a range of issues. He talked about his participation in groups including Food Not Bombs, which distributes free vegan and vegetarian meals, and the Occupy Movement born from the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protest in Lower Manhattan.

From then they spent most of the festival in each other's company, with Ms. Sage often procuring meals for an injured Mr. Kickingstone. Activism, each learned, was not their only common bond.

"Coming out so young" helped both learn "to live and be comfortable with ourselves," said Mr. Kickingstone, who also identifies as Two Spirit, a term that refers to gender non-conforming Indigenous Americans.

Before the end of their week in Oregon, Ms. Sage had initiated their first kiss.

After the festival, they parted ways. Ms. Sage, now 34, was at the time living in Santa Cruz, and Mr. Kickingstone, now 36, in Seattle. But a few weeks later, Ms. Sage traveled to Seattle to visit another friend and ended up staying with Mr. Kickingstone for two weeks. On that trip, they sang a lot of karaoke and she accompanied him to a 30th birthday party for his sister.

Not long after Ms. Sage left Seattle, Mr. Kickingstone visited her in Santa Cruz, in June 2013. While there, they went to the San Francisco Pride celebration, during which they participated in the Trans March supporting the transgender community, an annual event they have since attended regularly.

That December, the pair went to Mexico, where they spent a month backpacking in Chiapas and Oaxaca. By the end of the trip, Mr. Kickingstone was ready to take the next step with Ms. Sage.

She, however, felt conflicted. "I've always been a bit of a love skeptic," Ms. Sage said. "Very few relationships of the people in my life have been long-lasting, except for my grandparents."

In February 2014, Ms. Sage, a graduate of Mills College in Oakland, Calif., moved back to that city to attend a manicuring program at the International College of Cosmetology. When Mr. Kickingstone broached the subject of moving there himself, she at first was skittish, telling him she didn't want to be the only reason for his move.

He assured her she wasn't. "I wanted to be around more people of color and radical queer people," Mr. Kickingstone recalled telling Ms. Sage.

That April he moved to Oakland, into a house with nine roommates - one of whom was Ms. Sage, who found out he was moving in when other housemates told her Mr. Kickingstone was their preferred candidate. (He applied for the room via Craigslist not knowing it was in the house where she lived.) Three months later, ahead of construction on the property, Mr. Kickingstone moved out and into another house.

Once living in the same city, he and Ms. Sage decided to stop seeing other people. They remained monogamous for the next year and a half, before opening up their relationship again in October 2015. Their period of monogamy was a way for the two, who had both previously been in polyamorous relationships, to "establish trust," Mr. Kickingstone said.

That December, they moved into a new place in Oakland together. Ms. Sage, who holds a license from the California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, is now a nail artist at Fig & Clover, a local salon. Mr. Kickingstone works as a manufacturing technician at Slingshot Biosciences in Emeryville, Calif.

In the early years of their relationship, neither had much of an interest in marriage. Mr. Kickingstone's parents divorced soon after he was born, Ms. Sage's parents were never married and both said the Supreme Court's June 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage didn't feel particularly relevant to them.

"This system has never served us," Ms. Sage said. "We queer people have never been seen as fully human."

"We have to build our own families, often because our own don't accept us or are just not emotionally available to be the support we need," he said. "I always wanted a primary partner to maybe build a family with, even though I don't agree with the whole marriage system, and Melody is my person."

But when he shared his thoughts about their future with Ms. Sage after her 30th birthday in 2018, she balked. Throwing herself a party that year had been overwhelming enough. "Bring it up in another two or three years," she recalled telling him.

He didn't have to wait that long. In 2019, while the couple helped Ms. Sage's family plan an 80th birthday party for her maternal grandmother that March, she came around to the idea of marrying Mr. Kickingstone.

As Ms. Sage put it, "The world is so turbulent and full of grief and sadness. That Rosco and I can hold and process that together, but also have so much joy together and laugh every day and be able to grow together and make space for each other, is really special."

After some initial delays caused by the pandemic, they began to plan a wedding - or "celebration of love," as they called it.

At first, the event was only going to be a symbolic union. But as it neared, the couple decided to incorporate a legal ceremony for purely practical reasons: So Ms. Sage could become entitled to the health benefits offered by Mr. Kickingstone's job, and so she could make his doctor's appointments for him.

On June 18, the couple held a symbolic ceremony at Fern Cottage on the grounds of the Kennedy Grove Regional Recreation Area, in El Sobrante, Calif. Led by a friend, it included a blessing with crystals and the pagan ritual of invoking the four elements: earth, air, fire and water.

Both Mr. Kickingstone and Ms. Sage wore white denim vests customized with gold studs, rhinestones and rainbow-colored patterns on the back. He paired his with a fedora and matching white jeans; she paired hers with a white bathing suit, a pink tulle skirt, pink knee socks, platform sneakers and a veil.

Ahead of the ceremony, Ms. London acknowledged the Indigenous Ohlone people - the first inhabitants of the land now known as the Bay Area - before reminding the roughly 30 friends of the couple in attendance of the reason they had gathered that day: So Ms. Sage could get Mr. Kickingstone's health insurance.

In her remarks, their officiant recognized that Mr. Kickingstone and Ms. Sage were exercising their right to marriage on the same day that the Supreme Court revoked another long-held liberty, the right to abortion, by issuing its decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

The couple then climbed to the top of an extra-wide slide, where two witnesses signed their marriage license using the newlyweds' backs as hard surfaces. Mr. Kickingstone and Ms. Sage then slid down as their friends waved ribbon wands on either side of them.

"Melody is the one I want to be with in these apocalyptic times," Mr. Kickingstone said. "I love her with every thread of my being."

When June 24, 2022

Where Mission Dolores Park in San Francisco.

Undress Code Attendees of the couple's legal ceremony dressed more for the occasion of Pride than their wedding. One friend showed up in a leather harness with rainbow-sticker-covered nipples, and another in red boxer briefs.

Post-Marriage March Following their nuptials, Mr. Kickingstone and Ms. Sage, who was holding an umbrella that said "Just Married," walked in the Trans March, earning congratulations from fellow participants who included one of Ms. Sage's former professors.

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In 'Apocalyptic Times,' Marching Forward Together

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Melody Sage, who is queer, and Rosco Kickingstone, a transgender man, wed before the Trans March during San Francisco Pride, on the day that Roe v. Wade was overturned. While dancing around a bonfire to the rhythms of a drum circle in May 2013, Melody Christine Dankemeyer, who goes by the name Melody Sage, felt "a tingling rush of energy" course through her body.

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This article is part of Concentrate's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Washtenaw County youth in partnership with Concentrate staff mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth. In this installment, student journalists Ella Yip and Thylicia Babumba discuss the impact of stereotypes with local AAPI youth and adult leaders.

For more from Ella on this topic, check out herdesign for a dress that challenges common stereotypes of Asian women.

The Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community has gotten a lot of attention lately. Unfortunately, rather than largely celebrating these voices, a large factor that is bringing attention to the AAPI community is the recent rise in hate crimes directed at the community. Organizations such as Stop AAPI Hate work to report the hate crimes committed and create a positive rebuttal for the AAPI community. The AAPI community's resistance and rebellion makes space for a new surge of awareness in and for the community.

A small section of the AAPI identity is the awareness of how others perceive you. From our conversations with people in the local AAPI community, the way the world sees them is not usually positive, or something they can control.

"[Due to] the stereotypes of Asia being feminine, for men they have a toxic masculinity, so they have to prove their masculinity and force [it] onto others," says Salem D., a future 9th grader at Ypsilanti's Early College Alliance and former VP of Scarlett Middle School's Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Coalition.

The effect of stereotypes on AAPI individuals' lives is felt in many different ways. We spoke with local AAPI leaders, students, and community members of different ages and ethnicities, most of whom have seen and/or experienced positive and negative views of themself in society. Here's what they had to say about representation, the effects of stereotypes, and how we can combat generalizations about their community.

What is your perspective on Asian representation in our community?

Yen Azzaro, Ypsilanti-based artist and activist, believes that AAPI representation is not just your personal "Asian-ness," but spreading safety for other Asians in your community. She says there are a few groups or "pockets" in Ann Arbor that make her feel safe with her identity as an Asian. To continue to represent yourself you can step up and create safe spaces for you and your community.

Lori Saginaw, Ann Arbor-based activist, says that from her perspective it's "hard to see others," and there are not that many Asians in Ann Arbor. She says the few who are more visible tend to be in academia, IT, or medicine, and they don't run for office and are not arrested very often. This can be damaging to the AAPI community as a whole because AAPI individuals may be viewed as conforming to the "model minority" stereotype, a cultural expectation that holds that Asian-Americans are smart, wealthy, and hardworking.

Nani C., future 9th grader at Ann Arbor's Huron High School, feels that there are a lot of Asian-Americans in the community. She identifies as part of that community, even though she doesn't feel like she can add anything to the community yet. She does try to represent the community as positively as possible.

Anna Gonzalez, Scarlett Middle School Spanish teacher, reports that she felt out of place when going to the University of Michigan as a Filipina. Even though there was a large Asian population, there was no representation of the Filipina identity. She says when she joined a sorority, there was only one other Filipino. Overall, she had a really hard time finding other people with the same identity.

Salem states that being Vietnamese-American and being trans means not only being part of two communities, but creating a completely new identity.

" You can't choose one or the other. You can't switch one off or on," they say. "You feel like you have to choose one identity or the other."

How do stereotypes /generalizations in Washtenaw County affect you in your own life?

Azzaro says a common generalization she experiences is being confused with a friend or coworker of Asian descent. This is a very common microaggression that often happens in workplaces, when two people of the same ethnicity are thought of or seen as the same person, and coworkers or peers do not bother to differentiate between the two people.

Gonzalez talks about the assumptions people make of her when they first meet her. Most often she says she is perceived as the "pretty Asian girl" stereotype, which fetishizes her and views her as submissive, quiet, and subservient. People often tell her, "Wow, your English is really good," stereotyping her as a non-native English speaker.

Saginaw believes that she has subconsciously acted on stereotypes that surround Asian-American women, especially while raising her kids. At her job she was constantly stereotyped as "polite and quiet."

Saginaw has also witnessed other Asian-Americans' experiences with stereotypes. She once saw a white woman in a chair position tell a Chinese-American woman, who was passionate about activism work in the organization, that she was "too angry" and asked her why she didn't act as "polite and quiet" as Saginaw.

Nani responds that the use of stereotypes against her or the AAPI community is usually based on physical features or intelligence.

Fiza C., future 9th grader at Huron High School, shares her personal experience with the generalizations the AAPI community experiences. She gives an example of a dear friend who is Chinese, and often is assumed to be from a different Asian country because of their facial features.

"If [people] don't have much knowledge, they might start to assume things," Fiza says.

Do you see an awareness or presence of stereotypes and generalization?

Azzaro says thatduring the COVID-19 pandemic, she's experienced people giving her a side eye or acting cautious around her. For example, a mother moved her kids away from Azzaro. Another example is when a doctor asked her if she had traveled in the past 30 days, instead of the standard question about travel within the past week. Standard questions were also longer because Azzaro was being stereotyped because of the false information spreading about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Small microaggressions become truths within people's minds, and then form into stress, aggression, and violence. The microaggressions, generalizations, and stereotypes can easily enter the minds of people who will believe them, which often results in violence against Asian-Americans.

"Words grow seeds and vehicles for actions of hate and violence," Azzaro says.

Gonzalez says people assume that if you are Asian, you must be Chinese. Upon meeting someone, people fall back on bias and categorize them based on how they act. Gonzalez says the speed of generalization has been shocking to her.

"Some microaggressions I have experienced are a white person talking to [another] white person rather than me," she says. "There's a generalization of 'good handwriting.' People compare features and say, 'You have long fingers,' or, 'Do all Asians look like this?'"

How is the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti community breaking stereotypes/generalizations?

Gonzalez thinks of AAPI women who are defying stereotypes by having tattoos or entering different professional fields than those which Asian-Americans are stereotypically expected to enter.

"Asian women are expected to go to school and graduate from college, because that's what everyone says they need to do," she says. "But Asian women are going to college because they want to and other Asian women are not going to college because they simply don't want to."

Stereotypes have also been broken with interracial couples in Asian communities.
There are more AAPI community members coming out as bisexual, lesbian, or gay . They are confident in their identity, and admire seeing themselves as a race. They are not letting their race be a limitation in school. Gonzalez has also seen people who are not AAPI join the AAPI club at her school, just as people who are not a part of the Latinx community have joined the Latinx club.

How do you personally fight stereotypes and generalizations toward the Asian community? What actions should we all be taking to address this discrimination?

Azzaro says that to fight stereotypes, she interacts with the people around her, making sure that she is seen and heard in the way she wants to be. A few other ways to smash the stereotypes projected on you is being creative in a space where you see no representation of yourself, and being loud and proud about your identity.

Azzaro is breaking stereotypes by surrounding herself with work that is meaningful to her, being an artist and creating art, surrounding herself with people who support her, and surrounding herself with safe spaces.

"The ocean that is life, that is whiteness - you never get away from it, and the ocean doesn't have to change," she says. "You can be a whale but you will still be in the ocean, but there are ways to swim against the tide!"

Gonzalez considers herself a tomboy. When people first meet her, she generally acts shy and quiet, but when people learn more about her, they learn how outspoken and fun she is. For example, she likes to rock climb. She says you don't often see a lot of Asian women who are tomboys because of the "" or " geisha girl " stereotypes. Saying you are the man of the house or a property owner is also very uncommon among Asian women.

Nani says, "You have to confront the person and try to make them understand. If they don't, they may try to be more firm. The media can be biased, like, 'Oh, that person is right,' or, 'It's about what I think and not what others think about it.' If you listen to one perspective it can be hard to go about things and respect different cultures."

Emily N., future 9th grader at Ann Arbor's Huron High School, sayspeople have to realize that you won't see the other person's perspectives, and you won't see the whole truth about them, but you can be an ally to them.

Salem says you have tocall people out when they use stereotypes.

"A lot of them are internalized, and they don't realize they perpetuate it onto Asian-American people," they say.

Salem says Asian-Americans can also fall into assimilating themselves into the stereotypes placed upon them because it's easier.

"Breaking stereotypes is really within yourself and not caring how people view you," Salem says. "Don't stop caring, but don't care too much. If you think too much, you can think of how to wear, act, think and how you present yourself. A lot of people don't talk about how it affects the person and how it can hurt them."

We hope that through this essay, we have brought you a new perspective on the AAPI community, and given you ways to support them. We hope that you now will be able to recognize the stereotypes that face members of the AAPI community in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and fight against those stereotypes. We hope that you will use the solutions given to you to join the push against harmful and problematic stereotypes towards this community.

We want to thank every one of the interviewees for taking time from their busy schedules to talk to us. All of your thoughts were very important to us. Unfortunately we did not end up including all of your insights, but they were very important in building this essay, and contributed to what this work has become. Thank you.

Ella Yip is a future 9th grader at Huron High School. She plays the viola; loves to draw, knit, and crochet; and is an ARMY (BTS fan) through and through. She started becoming active in spreading awareness about Asian stereotypes during middle school, when she started her school's first Asian American and Pacific Islander Student Coalition (AAPI-SC). The coalition has released slides about AAPI holidays or matters that affect the AAPI community. She hopes to continue in social justice-related work throughout high school and beyond.

Thylicia Babumba is a future 9th grader at Huron High School. Thylicia is a very dynamic and energetic person, which is paired with her diverse interests, ranging from psychology to movie and cinematography analysis to serial killers. Thylicia's passion for social justice began during the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement, after police brutality caused the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. This effect sparked her interest in learning more about the injustice that was happening to marginalized groups. Later on she joined the Black Student Union club at Scarlett Middle School, where she formatted educational slides, met with the Ann Arbor Parent-Teacher Organization, and taught people about the African-American experience and history. She also joined AAPI-SC at Scarlett Middle School, where she also helped form educational slides that presented the overlooked history of Asian-Americans and their unfair representation in the media. She will continue her work through high school and beyond.

Concentrate staffer Maria Patton served as Ella and Thylicia's Voices of Youth mentor on this project.

Yen Azzaro and Lori Saginaw photos by Doug Coombe. All other photos courtesy of the sources.

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Voices of Youth: AAPI leaders speak out on Asian stereotypes and how to combat them

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This article is part of Concentrate's Voices of Youth series, which features content created by Washtenaw County youth in partnership with Concentrate staff mentors, as well as feature stories by adult writers that examine issues of importance to local youth.

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Photos of People Celebrating Boris Johnson's Resignation

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Crowds gathered outside Downing Street to chant "bog off Boris" and "bye bye Boris".

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Support for abortion rights in the United States increased following the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a new report.

Moreover, support for abortion increased more in the 13 states with "trigger laws"-legislation that was designed to ban or limit abortion access immediately following the ruling-than in other states.

Researchers say this represents a chasm between the high court's decision and public opinion in the United States, where a majority opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and that this may impact the outcomes of the 2022 midterm elections.

In the majority opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the ruling that overturned Roe, Justice Samuel Alito wrote, "Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

But Alauna Safarpour, a visiting postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern's Network Science Institute and co-author of the report, says that so far, the decision has not had its intended effect.

"There's an inherent disconnect between Justice Alito's opinion suggesting that turning the issue of abortion back over to the states would increase the coherence with public opinion and state policies, and what we actually see, which is that that's not what occurs," she says.

The report was released as part of the COVID States Project, which collects and releases data on COVID-19 trends but has moved to "other interesting societal questions," says David Lazer, a university distinguished professor of political science and computer sciences at Northeastern and a principal investigator on the project. The project is led by a consortium of scholars from Northeastern, Harvard University, Rutgers University and Northwestern University.

In a survey of 24,414 across all 50 states and the District of Columbia before and after the Dobbs decision, researchers asked respondents about their level of support for nine different scenarios involving abortion, ranging from "A women does not want to be pregnant," to "After 6 weeks of pregnancy," to "Staying pregnant could cause the woman to die." They found that between 1% and 5% of respondents increased their support for abortion, depending on the scenario.

In the 13 states where "trigger laws" went into effect after Roe was overturned, however, this range was 3% to 9%. "Public opinion moved in the opposing direction as public policy," the report states, despite the court's claim in their opinion that "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives," and that the abortion issue would be resolved through voting.

In regard to whether this will affect the outcome of the midterm elections, Lazer says, "this report hints that there might be some shift."

Men, rural residents and respondents with a high school education or less are less likely to vote in the midterms after the Dobbs decision, the report found. Safarpour notes that the latter two groups form a core Republican constituency, and this may indicate that a "win" on the abortion issue demotivates them to vote. In the overall population, there was not a significant change in plans to vote post-Dobbs.

The report found that those who are "very likely" to vote are more likely to support abortion, while support for abortion increased for those who are not "very likely" to vote.There was very little change in party preference before and after the decision.

Respondents also generally supported more of the nine scenarios after the Dobbs decision, suggesting that those who support abortion became more set in their views following the decision.

"If there's a major change such as the Dobbs decision or a state-level policy change, that's going to shift that group of people who are more on the fence towards a certain direction," says Krissy Lunz Trujillo, a postdoctoral fellow at Northeastern's Network Science Institute and co-author of the report.

Abortion is far from being the only political arena where public opinion and the law diverge. Climate change, healthcare issues and gun control are all examples of this, the team says.

But psychologically, the abortion issue is unique in that Americans have experienced a loss of a liberty through the Dobbs decision. "There's something about the politics of loss, of losing something that you had," Lazer says. "Something was taken away, and I think that may be especially activating politically."

According to Safarpour, it makes sense that the court's decision would inspire people to vote. "[It came] as a surprise, and I think it makes people angry, and we've seen in a lot of the political science literature that anger is very motivating."
For media inquiries, please contact Shannon Nargi at s.nargi@northeastern.edu or 617-373-5718.

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Support for abortion went up after Roe v. Wade was overturned, report says

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Support for abortion rights in the United States increased following the Supreme Court's June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to a new report. Moreover, support for abortion increased more in the 13 states with "trigger laws"-legislation that was designed to ban or limit abortion access immediately following the ruling-than in other states.

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CNN Poll: January 6 hearings haven’t changed opinions much, but most agree Trump acted unethically | CNN Politics

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After the eight public hearings held by the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, the American public’s views on the state of democracy and the threat posed to it by that event have changed little, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

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Most polls provide insights into people's attitudes based on closed test questions. Such questions bring lots of valuable information but have some downsides - for one, people cannot express themselves freely outside of the topics they are asked about. As part of the Sinophone Borderlands online public opinion survey in China in March 2022, we asked 3,000 Chinese respondents (split into six groups) open-ended questions about what they thought about the United States, Russia, Japan, Europe, Singapore, and Africa. Here is what they had to say.
U nited States
The United States was commonly thought of as an advanced and powerful state, yet hostile to China, untrustworthy, and tending to interfere in other countries' affairs. "Hegemon" was the most prevalent association (70 out of 500 respondents mentioned it), followed by "advanced technology," "bossy," "developed economy," "powerful," and "war." Current U.S. President Joe Biden received about half the amount of mentions compared to his predecessor, Donald Trump, but neither was mentioned frequently.

Furthermore, "COVID-19" was a common association, perhaps as a simple reference to how the pandemic was handled in the United States. But it could also be a consequence of exposure to conspiracy theories claiming the U.S. was the source or even manufacturer of the coronavirus - theories Chinese party-state spokespersons and social media accounts have endorsed.

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When asked whether their perception of the U.S. had changed in recent years, 60 percent of the respondents said it had worsened; for 25 percent, it got better and 15 percent reported no change in their perception. Respondents whose perception of the U.S. worsened mentioned in a separate open question, reasons such as the mismanagement of the pandemic, American hegemony, instigating wars, meddling in the affairs of other countries, but also the trade war, and generally suppressing China. Respondents very commonly used negative adjectives such as bossy, arrogant, selfish, shameless, unfriendly, but even retarded or vicious. Those who said their opinion of the U.S. changed for the better listed primarily economic reasons and particularly advanced technology for the improvement.

When it came to Russia, the first associations of Chinese respondents were mostly positive, although the intensity of positivity did not appear as strong as the negativity towards the US. Many associations seemed to be based upon stereotypes: "vodka," "beautiful girls," "bears," and adjectives such as "vast" and "cold" appeared many times each. The most frequently mentioned term was "warrior nation" (more than 80 mentions out of 500), and while "war with Ukraine" was recorded in the responses, it did not appear to have either a negative or positive tone (only one single response mentioned that "Russia attacked Ukraine" and a few respondents referred to an "invasion," without further details). "Putin" as the Russian leader seems central to Chinese images of Russia - Putin's name was the second most frequent association with Russia for Chinese respondents.
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In contrast to the United States, Russia is clearly viewed as a friendly country. Still, the prevalence of stereotypes, including negative ones, may also suggest this friendliness does not have profound social roots and is driven by a pragmatic recognition of the necessities of state-to-state relations, along with the persona of the current Russian leader.

When asked whether their perception of Russia changed in recent years, 80 percent of the respondents said it got better, for 6 percent it worsened, and for 14 percent it remained neutral. Respondents whose perception of Russia got better mentioned the strength of the country, the strength of the leadership ("trust Putin," "Putin has guts," "strong leadership"), and trustworthiness and friendliness toward China (even "brotherly love" between Russia and China, but also mentions that the "enemy of an enemy is our friend"). Respondents also mentioned economic development and military strength, with the term "warrior nation" often used in a positive sense ("famous warrior nation"). A few answers referred to the admiration of beautiful women and sportspeople (mostly skaters) and a good life in general. There were, however, also a few respondents who did not know the reason for why they felt their impression of Russia got better and wrote "just a feeling." Those few who said their opinion of Russia changed for the worse said the economy was bad or in decline, or mentioned wars, and specifically the war with Ukraine, and invading other countries.
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Regarding Europe, Chinese respondents did not have robust associations but rather many smaller ones - and some people did not provide any associations whatsoever (24 out of 500). Europe is seen as white ("Caucasians"), wealthy, developed in all kinds of ways - economy, technology, culture - and as an exciting travel destination with rich culture and history. Also, Europe is recognized as strongly connected to the institution of the European Union ("EU") and the common currency ("Euro"), while also connected to "NATO" and a "U.S. ally" (which is most likely seen in negative terms). The three most mentioned countries were France, Italy, and Germany. Europe is considered to be "romantic" and a place for "fashion" and "luxury goods."

When asked whether people's perception of Europe has changed in recent years, 25 percent of the respondents remained neutral, while 30 percent said it has worsened, and for 45 percent, it got better. Some reasons for the worsened perception include the deteriorated EU-China relations: issues of sanctions and the idea that Europe lacks strategic autonomy - being a "follower of the U.S. to suppress China" were repeatedly raised. Russia's war on Ukraine also made Europe's image more negative among respondents. On the other hand, those with a positive perception of Europe often mentioned the stable and sound economic development, advanced technology, and good quality of life.

The Chinese respondents' image of Africa is very general and mainly relates to sub-Saharan Africa (thus ignoring North Africa): hot, vast savannah with wild animals roaming; the continent has "pristine nature" and is rich in "natural resources." The first and foremost association is, however, "poverty," followed by "Black people." High up on the scale were also "backwardness" and "economic backwardness." People also seem to be aware of "Chinese aid to Africa." Other than that, African people are seen by the Chinese as "friendly" although "lazy."
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When asked whether people's perception of Africa has changed in recent years, more than half of the respondents (53 percent) showed positive change. While 33 percent remained neutral, only 14 percent have a worsened view of Africa. Many of the respondents that hold positive views mentioned the improved relations with China and the fact that the development of Africa is going in a fast and positive direction - especially with aid from and cooperation with China. The negative perceptions of Africa mainly focus on the idea that Africa is poor and backward; some mentioned that they saw on social media an underdeveloped situation there and therefore had a bad impression. Despite largely self-reported positive views, the strong influence of certain stereotypes can also be observed with answers like "African people are lazy."

When asked about Japan, the most common associations tend to focus on historical grievances, such as "invasion of China," "Nanjing massacre," "resistance war against Japan," or "cruel history." This shows that the unpleasant memory of the war between the two countries remains in the collective memory of the Chinese people and defines the current view of Japan. Besides highly negative terms such as "Japanese devils," Japan is also seen as a technological and industrial powerhouse with a developed economy.

At the same time, Chinese respondents have fairly specific knowledge of Japanese cultural elements. The most mentioned term of all was "sakura" (cherry blossoms), followed by other iconic Japanese items, such as "Mount Fuji," "sushi," "kimono," and "anime." A few also mentioned "porn" and "nuclear pollution." Overall, we can observe that the Chinese people's image of Japan is an interesting combination of historical grievances and awareness of its cultural context.
Singapore
When asked whether people's perception of Japan has changed in recent years, 28 percent of the respondents remained neutral, and both those with positive and negative changes are at 36 percent. The positive attitudes are related to Japan's advanced technology, good environment, the etiquette of the Japanese people, and Japan as a desirable travel destination. Reasons for negative attitudes vary and are usually political - historical trauma, territorial disputes (Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands), Japan-U.S. alliance, and anti-China sentiments from the Japanese far-right political scene. The problem of nuclear wastewater can also be seen in the responses.

Chinese people's most common association with Singapore was that it is a place where "ethnic Chinese" live and many people speak "Chinese." Nevertheless, this was the country/entity with the highest rate of people not having any association whatsoever (31 out of 500) out of the six we explored in the poll. So while Singapore is seen as a "travel destination" that is "clean" and "beautiful," with many gardens and greenery and is symbolized by the "Merlion," Chinese people don't seem to have deep knowledge of Singapore. Nevertheless, there is interest in the country and a sense of looking up to Singapore's strong points - "good governance," "organized," "safe," and having a "clean environment" were frequent descriptors, as well as awareness of "strict laws." Singapore is seen as "wealthy" and considered friendly toward China.

When asked whether their perception of Singapore has changed in recent years, the majority (64 percent) of the respondents responded positively, while 29 percent remained neutral, and only 7 percent responded negatively. Aside from an overall excellent performance such as good governance, clean environment, and well-developed economy, some respondents see Singapore positively because they share the same ethnicity as the Chinese and Singapore is seen as friendly towards China. On the other hand, although a small minority, those who view Singapore negatively overwhelmingly mentioned "anti-China attitude" and that Singapore is becoming increasingly unfriendly towards China. Some mentioned sanctions.

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What Do Chinese People Really Think About Some of China's Important Partners?

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Advertisement Most polls provide insights into people's attitudes based on closed test questions. Such questions bring lots of valuable information but have some downsides - for one, people cannot express themselves freely outside of the topics they are asked about.