Authoritarianism 2.0: The Internet and Authoritarian Rule in China

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Session Description

Nowadays over half of the world’s population has access to the Internet. As the front runner in digital innovation and development, China has the largest Internet population, reaching about 802 million, more than twice the size of the population of the United States. The importance of the Internet in China grows not only in the sheer number of internet users, but also in its impact on political participation and authoritarian rule in China. The Internet, especially social media, has become an important channel for Chinese netizens to express their political views, which in return put pressure on the Chinese government.

Yet despite the size and importance of the Chinese internet until now we had very little knowledge about Internet users in China. What is our best estimate for who uses the Internet in China and where Internet users are located? How popular are the various types of Chinese social media? What do Chinese Internet users normally use these social media for? We also have very limited knowledge about how the Internet shapes political discussion and participation in China. Do Internet users understand politics differently from non-Internet users? What is their perception of the online space for political discussion? Do they trust the government? Are they concerned about privacy and political censorship online? Does the Internet empower them to discuss or even mobilize them to participate in politics? Answers to these questions provide important insights into the role of the Internet in authoritarian rule in China.

In this roundtable discussion, we will share preliminary results from the first nationally representative survey data on Internet use in China – the China Internet Survey (2018) and provide answers to the questions above about Internet use and its impact on authoritarian politics in China.

The China Internet Survey made use of iterative spatial sampling via global positioning system (GPS) in order to appropriately capture the large numbers of internal migrants who are not officially registered at their place of residence, a major source of bias in other face-to-face surveys in China. A total of 4686 eligible samples were drawn, yielding a final sample size of 3,144. The response rate was 67.1%. Respondents were interviewed face-to-face with experienced and trained interviewers.

This roundtable discussion brings together comparative political scientists who examine authoritarian politics in China from various perspectives, including, for example, political institutions, political trust and legitimacy, media, political participation, and survey research methodology. Based on the survey data, participants will look into the debate of the Internet and authoritarian rule in China and share their thoughts on the Internet and regime change within and beyond China in a comparative perspective.

There are two contributions of this roundtable discussion. First, based on unique nationally representative survey data, the roundtable provides new evidence in the debate on the Internet and regime change. Second, the roundtable also addresses the conference theme “Populism and Privilege” in 2019. We also explore whether the Internet has privileged certain groups or segments of the society over others under the context of authoritarian regime. This discussion will provide important implications for the role of technology on political discussion and public opinion in the digital age.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 38: Political Communication

Chair

• Daniela Stockmann Hertie School of Governance

Presenters

• Ting Luo Hertie School of Governance

• Pierre F. Landry Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Melanie Frances Manion Duke University

• Wenfang Tang Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

• Yuhua Wang Harvard University