Commuters walk near a high-speed train after arriving in Beijing. According to a survey by Ipsos Public Affairs, China was ranked as the most optimistic country in the world. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 6 (UPI) -- A new survey found that China is the most optimistic country in the world, with 87 percent of people believing their country is on the right track.

The Ipsos Public Affairs survey found that China was one of seven countries out of 27 surveyed in which more than half of the population had a positive view of their country's current track. China was followed by India (74 percent), Saudi Arabia (71 percent), South Korea (66 percent), Canada (58 percent), Russia (57 percent) and Serbia (51 percent).


At the bottom of the list was Mexico, where only 8 percent believe their country is on the right track.

The United States placed tenth, with only 43 percent of the population having a positive view. But Americans ranked slightly better than Germans (42 percent) and Israelis (41 percent.)

When looked at as one group, however, people around the world aren't in a very optimistic mood. Only 40 percent of the world's population are feeling positive about their country's direction. And several European countries, including France (35 percent), Sweden (32 percent) and Britain (28 percent), were in the bottom half of national optimism.

The main cause of anxiety appears to be based on economics. The top three main concerns were unemployment, financial/political corruption and poverty and social inequality. Crime and healthcare were the fourth and fifth most cited reasons for concern.

However, top concerns varied widely by country. For example, the majority of Hungarians -- 70 percent -- said access to healthcare was their top concern, while 67 percent of Mexicans said crime and violence was their main worry.

Only four countries around the world said healthcare was their biggest concern. Aside from Hungary, those countries were Poland (52 percent), the United States (39 percent) and Canada (36 percent).

More than 60 percent of the populations in Spain, South Korea and Italy said unemployment was their biggest worry.

The only country to cite morality as their top concern was also the most optimistic about their country's future: China, where 47 percent are most concerned with moral decay.