How Propaganda Encourages Citizenry Protest in Autocracies

• In Event: Mass Mobilization and Protests in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

The literature suggests that propaganda can demobilize citizenry protest by either persuasion or intimidation. However, it cannot explain why, rightful resistance of citizens is still frequent in China whereas the government owns the most powerful propaganda machine. I argue that propaganda materials may contain mobilizing elements that can unexpectedly encourage citizenry protest. Such mobilizing elements can be revolutionary narratives which suggest that ordinary people can and should participate in politics and change the world. I conducted a survey experiment on 3700 Chinese adults, using revolutionary propaganda music as the treatments. The results show that when respondents were exposed to revolutionary music, their willingness to join citizenry protest increased 2.5%. The causal mechanism tests suggest that revolutionary music increased protest willingness by affecting audiences’ emotion and increasing their justification of protest. The findings address the puzzle between China’s massive propaganda machine on one hand, and the pervasiveness of rightful resistance on the other.

Author

• Li Shao, Zhejiang University