内容摘要：“Honestly,” he said, “I would rather have been anywhere else.”

“Honestly,” he said, “I would rather have been anywhere else.”

While the surveys were of a nationally representative sample aged 20 to 60, getting access to a broad range of opinions is a challenge in authoritarian China.Respondents were from 26 Chinese provinces and administrative regions. The 2023 surveys excluded Xinjiang and parts of Tibet - Mr Whyte said it was “a combination of extra costs due to remote locations and political sensitivity”. Home to ethnic minorities, these tightly controlled areas in the north-west have long bristled under Beijing's rule.

Those who were not willing to speak their minds did not participate in the survey, the researchers said. Those who did shared their views when they were told it was for academic purposes, and would remain confidential.Their anxieties are reflected in the choices that are being made by many young Chinese people. With unemployment on the rise, millions of college graduates have been forced to accept low-wage jobs, while others have, pushing back against relentless work. Still others have

, returning home to their parents because they cannot find a job, or are burnt out.Analysts believe China’s iron-fisted management of Covid-19 played a big role in undoing people’s optimism.

“[It] was a turning point for many… It reminded everyone of how authoritarian the state was. People felt policed like never before,” said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

Many people were depressed and the subsequent pay cuts "reinforced the confidence crisis,” he added.The fire was reported at about 18:30 BST on Thursday and rapidly spread through a former aircraft hangar at the site.

Ten fire and rescue crews were called to tackle the blaze as witnesses reported seeing black smoke in the sky.The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Bicester Motion is home to more than 50 specialist businesses, focused on classic car restoration and engineering on the former site of RAF Bicester.It was home to RAF Bomber Command in World War Two and became redundant in 2004.