Disaster, Propaganda, and Resistance

• In Event: Propaganda, Media Bias, and Public Opinion in China and Russia

Abstract

Propaganda is crucial for maintaining authoritarian rule, and no time is it more important than during crisis events like disasters, when citizens' trust in the government may be low and government competence may be particularly questioned. Moreover, during crises there will be competing narratives challenging the government and its narratives. But previous studies of propaganda focus on its effects during normal times; the effect of government propaganda about its performances during crises are not well understood. We also do not know how propaganda will fare against competing narratives. This research addresses these questions using two original survey experiments, conducted respectively in early March 2020, when China was still deep in the coronavirus crisis, and in mid-late March, when the crisis had let up. In both experiments, the respondents were reminded of some representative government propaganda, resistance narratives challenging the government, or cross-cutting communication involving both propaganda and resistance. With this unique dataset, the research will shed light on the effects of propaganda, resistance narratives, and the competition between the two on citizens' political attitudes.

Author

• Haifeng Huang, The Ohio State University