Are Pandas Effective Ambassadors for Promoting Wildlife Conservation and International Diplomacy?

Abstract

The current study drew from emotional contagion and source credibility theories to investigate whether watching differentially sourced panda videos may influence attitudes toward the “brand” image of China. An experiment (N = 245) conducted with a U.S. college student sample showed that perceived source credibility and nature relatedness were positively linked to emotional response toward the video. A non-governmental video source was perceived to be more credible than a governmental video source in influencing attitude toward Chinese culture, emotional response toward the video, and attitude toward wildlife conservation. The latter two variables and nature relatedness likewise positively predicted attitude toward Chinese culture, which in turn had a positive effect on attitude toward Chinese people; attitude toward Chinese people further positively affected attitude toward Chinese government. These findings suggest that panda diplomacy as a soft-power nation-branding device might have been relatively effective in building goodwill toward Chinese culture, people, and government overtime.