A recent poll of 3,000 urban residents across the Chinese mainland shows that the public sees an improvement in the working style of the Party and local governments since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in November, with the fewer banquets at public expense especially gaining attention.

According to the Canton Public Opinion Research Center, which carried out the poll in March and released a report on May 7, 52 percent of those polled believe the working style of the Party and the local governments are better than they were half a year ago.

The center listed three specific perspectives where improvements are expected for the polled: banquets at public expense; road closures caused by the Party and government leaders going out; and giving gifts for convenience in public services.

Fewer banquets at public expense is the improvement most acknowledged. Sixty percent of the polled say they have seen fewer such banquets. However, only 36 percent of the polled say they have seen fewer acts of giving gifts for convenience in public services, and 13 percent say they have seen even more of it.

Moreover, the poll shows that civil servants and the staff at public institutions have a stronger feeling about the improvement in the working style of the Party and local governments, as the people required to carry out the changes.