Survey results recently published by Internations, an online community for expatriates worldwide, has concluded that a mere 14 percent of those living in China are completely satisfied with their life overseas; a value which falls below the worldwide average (21 percent).
With China’s economic development, vast education institutions and comparatively low cost of living, it is no surprise that the nation is called “home away from home” by a large amount of foreign employees (particularly managers, teachers and entrepreneurs) students, and voluntary re-locators alike.
However as the title of the China segment of the report “Work Rather than Pleasure” boldly implies, while China’s demand for and appeal to foreigners is high, the happiness felt by those who reside in the Middle Kingdom isn’t too astounding.
This desolate conclusion took the team at Nanjing Expat by surprise, for in our very own “Nanjing Expat (NJX) Happiness Survey”, completed by members of Nanjing’s foreigner population in 2013, 83 percent of respondents described themselves as either “happy” or “very happy” with their life in Nanjing; a rating drastically higher than that obtained by Internations, whose conclusion took the opinions of not only Nanjingers, but foreigners all across China, into account.
What exactly is the root cause of this reported discontent? This was one of the many questions that this particular investigation, which involved 13,851 survey respondents worldwide, attempted to answer.
Since China is a nation whose unique culture and customs differ greatly from that of the Western World, acclimatising to life in this nation can be rather difficult for foreigners. The investigation’s results highlighted the extent of this strain, reporting that only 23 percent of laowai found it easy to familiarise themselves with Chinese culture; a figure considered low when compared with the global mean of 41 percent. Meanwhile China ranked in at 52nd out of 61 nations in terms of the ease at which expats found they could settle into their new surroundings; further dilapidating overall the satisfaction levels reflected by those living in China.
However, through developing a strong friend and support network, such cultural barriers become easier for expatriates to cope with. Understanding the importance of relationship development to those living abroad, Internations investigated this aspect of the “expat package”, concluding that 45 percent of China-based respondents meet new people through events reaching out to foreigners; a figure grand in comparison to the worldwide mean (36 percent). The survey also concluded that foreigners weren’t as likely to develop friendships with locals (when compared to fellow foreigners), which is quite surprising considering nearly half of respondents (43 percent) admitted to being able to speak Chinese.
Those who completed our NJX questionnaire shared extremely similar attitudes towards developing relationships, with two thirds of respondents disclosing that they felt it important to mingle with fellow laowai rather than solely Chinese locals.
Yet, Internations’ report wasn’t entirely grim and gloomy. Expats in China came out at the higher end of the spectrum across several categories, perhaps the most notable of which being economics. As aforementioned, the low living costs characteristic of this nation make it standout amongst international compatriots. Attained results reflect this fact especially well, as nearly half of those residing in China labeled the nation’s living costs as “good or very good”, thereby, also making daily expenses far easier to cover (59 percent reported this so), which is grand when contrasted with other nations, where only 45 percent (on average) fell into this category.
As the published results of Internations’ investigation has highlighted, life as a foreigner in China is bittersweet. Like “Ying and Yang”, culture shock and overcoming the “settling in” blues are balanced out by the sweeter side of the expatriate experience in China; new friends, skills and low-cost luxury. Additionally, as the discrepancy between the happiness levels of Nanjing’s expats and China’s expats suggest, it seems that sweet overshadows the sour for foreigners fortunate enough to call Nanjing their second home.
To view the survey report for yourself, follow the following below: http://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2014/china
