I've lived in a communist country and I know how freedom of speech and freedom of press works. Well, it doesn't.

Without it, how can you trust official (or even unofficial) polls and reports? With such heavy surveillance and lack of real privacy, people rarely say what they actually think.

> "In every one of these categories, Chinese responses far outpaced those from Western nations."

I bet. Makes you wonder what would happen if they answered differently. I'm 100% sure the results are honest!

> (in US) "As a result, many people remain in jobs they find to be miserable just to keep their insurance, since without it they might not be able to afford life-saving treatments."

That’s almost funny - as if in China everyone has their dream job. Good thing Amnesty International and other organizations haven’t found any abuses or forced labor there; oh wait...

When it comes to movement, healthcare, and housing — it's striking that the hukou (户口) system still ties people to their birthplace. Sure, you can travel and even live elsewhere, but in practice you lose access to social benefits like healthcare or public schooling for your kids. This isn't some small exception - we're talking about hundreds of millions of migrant workers in cities who live as a "second category" of citizens. Formally free to move, but with limited rights.

Sorry, but the article reads more like propaganda than analysis - calling something "freedom" that, in reality, is not.