Propaganda on Social Mobility: A Text Analysis of Chinese State Media

• In Event: Governing Information in China: Effects at Home and Abroad

Abstract

Do authoritarian regimes care about the public perception of social mobility? Authoritarian regimes rely on positive economic evaluations to generate political support and maintain regime legitimacy. Social mobility can play a crucial role in shaping the public's view of the government's economic performance. Nevertheless, public perception of social mobility can be influenced by media manipulation. Past research has identified a positive correlation between individuals' belief in future mobility and their trust in the government. Due to their comparative advantage in controlling public discourse, authoritarian regimes can deploy pervasive political propaganda to convince the public of an upwardly mobile society, thus bolstering regime legitimacy. Focusing on the case of China, this paper attempts to explore how authoritarian governments shape public knowledge about social mobility through biased reports of an optimistic economic prospect. The paper conducts a text analysis of state media rhetoric related to economic opportunities, specifically on the state mouthpiece People’s Daily, to demonstrate how the Chinese government seeks to influence public opinion about the level of upward mobility in the country.

Author

• Qing Wang