Constructing Local State Legitimacy: Police-Community Relations in China

• In Event: Mobilization and Repression under Authoritarianism

Abstract

Confronting a rising tide of police-society conflict, China's Public Security Bureau (PSB) is stepping up efforts to improve its public image. This includes reliance on traditional “Mass Line” rhetoric emphasizing service to the public as well as the use of new technology and outreach methods such as social media accounts and reality TV style programming. The goal is to project a message of positivity and responsiveness, but little is known about the effect of these efforts. Prior survey research has shed light on public opinion of the police in China but these studies have yet to account for the new outreach campaigns. This paper draws on data collected from content analysis of online interactions between police and netizens on social media sharing sites, as well as focus groups conducted in one northern Chinese city. The combination of these methods helps identify nuances in public opinion of the police and provides evidence to determine which methods of outreach work best for which groups. Tactics such as posting short videos on app platforms like Douyin work best for reaching young people, especially when the content includes footage of police shows of strength or talent. In contrast, more traditional CCTV programming produced by the PSB is more likely to positively influence opinion in the older generations. But middle-aged persons are far less likely to watch TV or use apps like Douyin and thus do not often come into contact with PSB efforts to improve public opinion. In focus groups, members of this generation also express less interest in and knowledge of police activities. The findings give new insight into how members of the public interact with recent PSB campaigns to improve its public image, and ultimately, into how police legitimacy is socially constructed in China.

Author

• Suzanne E. Scoggins, Clark University