How Censorship of Criticism Reduces Perceptions of Government Responsiveness

• In Event: New and Innovative Experimental Work in Political Communication

Abstract

Scholars have long argued that authoritarian regimes want to suppress independent voices, especially criticisms of the regime. However, recent evidence from China shows that the government allows criticism to circulate online without censoring it. We provide a citizen-centered rationale for why autocrats might find it beneficial to allow criticism. Using an experiment embedded in a representative survey of urban residents in China, we show that when individuals believe that censorship is wide ranging and encompasses discussions of government policies, individuals view the regime as less responsive to their concerns, and they are in turn more likely to say that they would participate in collective action in the future. Our evidence suggests that allowing for criticism bolsters the public's belief in regime responsiveness and makes the public more likely to voice their grievances through state-sanctioned channels of participation rather than through extra-institutional or illegal means.

Authors

• Jennifer Pan, Stanford U

• Margaret Roberts, U of California - San Diego

• Tianguang Meng, Tsinghua U