Political Depression in China: Socio-political Attitudes, Internet Use, and Mental Distress

• In Event: Politics, Social Movements, and Emotions

Abstract

The trending buzzword “political depression” in China in recent years captures a pervasive sense of depression and powerlessness in response to the intensifying authoritarian governance. Existing research in the political sociology of emotions focuses on high-arousal, mobilizable affects, while the sociology of mental health examines primarily socioeconomic determinants, leaving this form of political distress largely understudied. To fill the gap, this study examines whether and how socio-political attitudes and perceptions are associated with mental distress in China, and whether these relationships are moderated by internet use and time periods. Drawing on eight waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) from 2010 to 2023, I employ ordinary least squares (OLS) models to estimate the effects of attitudes toward three dimensions of civil liberties and perceptions of social unfairness on the frequency of depressive feelings. This study has three findings. First, the attitude toward free speech, the attitude toward free reproduction, and the perception of social unfairness are positively and significantly associated with depressive feelings, while the attitude toward free movement shows an effect in the reverse direction. Second, frequent internet use intensifies the association between free speech attitude and depression, but not for other dimensions of socio-political attitudes. Third, the association between the free speech attitude and depression is intensified over the time period from 2010 to 2023, and the association between the social unfairness perception and depression is intensified in the post-COVID period (2021 and 2023) compared to the pre-COVID period. These findings overall support the argument that the discrepancy between socio-political attitudes and realities is associated with mental distress, and the association is partially conditioned by media use and socio-political contexts. This study advances scholarship at the intersection of politics, emotions, and mental health, offering timely insights in a global context of rising polarization and resurging authoritarianism.

Author

• Sizhe Xie, Colorado State University