Most Chinese people think the power transition of China's top leaders in the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China was successful, according to a Global Times survey of residents in major cities.

The survey, which solicited opinions from more than 1,400 people aged over 18 in seven major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi'an, Changsha and Shenyang, was conducted between November 17 and 18 by the Global Poll Center, an organization affiliated with the Global Times.

Some 38 percent of respondents rated the transition of power as "very successful" while 46.8 percent said it was "successful."

"The recognition of the smooth transition represents people's demand for a stable society," said Dai Yanjun, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. "People care about politics and are willing to participate and voice their opinions because they know social stability and political stability are crucial to their personal happiness," he said.

Dai said that the result showed that the new leader group, their inauguration speech, their past work experience and their promises have met expectations.

When asked if they felt confident that the new leaders would be able to build a better society, some 60 percent expressed confidence. About 27 percent said they had some degree of confidence that China would achieve that goal while only 7.2 percent were pessimistic.

"The result of this survey represents how people feel about this country," Yang Xuedong, a scholar with the Central Compilation & Translation Bureau, told the Global Times, "Judging from the fact that living conditions have significantly improved in China, people tend to look optimistically at the future."

About 85 percent of respondents believed their lives would improve in the next five years. Among these, 27 percent said the improvement would be significant while a further 57.9 percent said their lives would somewhat improve.

"The medical system has been covering more people with better service over the past years. The income levels of different social classes have improved and people are aware of it," said Yang, "China is experiencing an upward period in history. Our people are expecting something better."