Public Opinion on Chinese Social Media Censorship in Relevance to Citizen Ideology and Censor Identity

• In Event: China: Politics and Policy

Abstract

This study explores how the opinions of Chinese citizens towards social media censorship vary based on their ideology and the identity of the censor. Despite being subject to systematic censorship, a significant proportion of Chinese citizens appear to endorse such practices. Such endorsement, however, seems to be dependent on the context of the censoring action. In light of this, it is hypothesized that individuals in China with higher levels of socialism are expected to endorse government-led censorship, while those with higher levels of nationalism are more likely to support censorship by both the government and private companies. The nationality of the censor is expected to affect the opinion on social media censorship, with the censoring actions conducted by Chinese censors expected to receive higher support. This study conducts an online survey experiment that assesses the opinions of Chinese citizens towards social media censorship in different censoring contexts. The experiment offers significant evidence to support these hypotheses, though finding certain inconsistent results and limitations in terms of contrasting opinions on private company censorships. Potential causes of the partial inconsistency and means to improve further research are discussed. This study hopes to contribute to the existing literature on the perceived legitimacy of speech regulation by examining the connection between censors, citizens’ ideology, and public opinion on censorship in an authoritarian context.

Author

• Yidian Liu, New York University