Lack of English, guidance biggest hindrance for city’s foreigners
Print Edition
LACK of English and proper guidance while doing the paper works at the administrative centers were among the reasons cited by foreigners for being dissatisfied in the city.
In a survey of 1,207 foreigners in the city conducted by a group of sociologists from Shanghai University, only one-fourth of them said they were “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with local administrative services in Shanghai.
The survey was carried out from December last year to January this year.
Of them, 25.92 percent said they were satisfied with the efficiency of the staff at the administration responsible while processing their visas or residential permits, while 29.63 percent said they were “unsatisfied” or “highly unsatisfied.”
A good 44.44 percent said it was “just ok.”
Similar results were found when quizzed over the attitude of staff towards foreigners during the paperwork for visas or residential permits.
Also, 10 percent of the respondents said they had to work in Shanghai with non-work visas, which made them illegal, because they either failed to complete all the necessary procedures or their employers didn’t help them.
Researchers at the university said it was the largest survey of its kind till date and that the respondents came from 65 countries. The average age of those surveyed was 36.15, and their average time living in Shanghai was 43.19 months.
Official statistics show that by the end of 2013 there were 174,457 foreigners with residential permits in Shanghai.
Respondents also said that language was the biggest barrier for them to avail of services such as medical treatment and transportation by bus.
Only 22.32 percent of them said they had visited a local hospital where most patients were Chinese, while more than 45 percent said they tend to treat themselves or visit a hospital for foreigners.
Among other concerns were fears that even if they visited local hospitals Chinese doctors were unlikely to speak English good enough to understand, neither did the hospitals have any clear sign in English.
Similarly only 20.33 percent of the respondents said they had travelled by bus in the city, while those who didn’t said it was due to lack of English information at bus stops and on the buses.
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