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Maintaining Popular Support for the Chinese Communist Party: The Influence of Education and the State‐Controlled Media

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  • John James Kennedy

Abstract

Literature on public opinion in China suggests that public support for the Chinese Communist party (CCP) is quite high. No matter how survey questions regarding regime support are phrased, the results are the same. The obvious question arises: how does an authoritarian regime, such as the PRC, garner the support of the vast majority of its citizens? I argue that the exposure‐acceptance model best explains the high level of public support in China. This model suggests that educated citizens, who are politically aware, display high levels of political support within an authoritarian regime, but citizens at the highest levels of education are more resistant to political messages and tend to have lower levels of support. However, in a developing country such as China there are unequal educational opportunities for rural and urban citizens. This has a significant influence on how education affects regime support. Despite lower levels of support among the most educated citizens, the CCP still manages to maintain a high level of popular support through strict control over the media and education system.

Suggested Citation

  • John James Kennedy, 2009. "Maintaining Popular Support for the Chinese Communist Party: The Influence of Education and the State‐Controlled Media," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 57(3), pages 517-536, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:57:y:2009:i:3:p:517-536
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2008.00740.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Manion, Melanie, 1996. "The Electoral Connection in the Chinese Countryside," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 90(4), pages 736-748, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fungáčová, Zuzana & Weill, Laurent, 2017. "Trusting banks in China," BOFIT Discussion Papers 9/2017, Bank of Finland, Institute for Economies in Transition.
    2. repec:zbw:bofitp:2017_009 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. John James Kennedy & Haruka Nagao & Hongyan Liu, 2018. "Voting and Values: Grassroots Elections in Rural and Urban China," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 90-102.
    4. Fungáčová, Zuzana & Weill, Laurent, 2017. "Trusting banks in China," BOFIT Discussion Papers 9/2017, Bank of Finland Institute for Emerging Economies (BOFIT).
    5. Xiwen Fu, 2018. "The Contextual Effects of Political Trust on Happiness: Evidence from China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 139(2), pages 491-516, September.
    6. Rongbin Han, 2015. "Manufacturing Consent in Cyberspace: China’s “Fifty-Cent Army”," Journal of Current Chinese Affairs - China aktuell, Institute of Asian Studies, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, vol. 44(2), pages 105-134.

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