Understanding democratic perceptions and political participation among the younger generation in China's changing society: No news is good news for the Chinese government

Abstract

Objective:The main objective of this article is to explore whether the current younger generation in China has different views of democracy and political behavior from those of previous generations. Methods: Using the fourth wave of the Asian Barometer Survey (ABS IV), this study conducts systematic comparisons across the generations with respect to their attitudes toward democracy and political behaviors. Results and Conclusion:This study indicates that Chinese youth tend to hold substance-based democratic conceptions, show a relatively lower level of commitment to liberal democracy, and demonstrate a higher level of satisfaction with the current situation of democratization in China than do their older counterparts. The generation of youngest adults is also less likely to turn out to participate in electoral activities and other forms of political action. These results demonstrate a generational decline in support for democracy and active political participation amid the authoritarian tendencies of China, reflecting the profound effect of early-life political socialization on political values and behaviors. KEYWORDS age cohort, attitude toward democracy, political participation BACKGROUND Understandings of and attitudes toward democracy in ChinaHow ordinary people within new democracies and nondemocracies understand, define, and evaluate the meaning of "democracy" has been on the radar of social scientists for many years. When analyzing public perceptions of democracy on a global scale, scholars have generally assumed that people in less developed countries are more likely to equate democracy with social benefits and a higher living standard (i.e., substantive democracy); conversely, people in more developed countries tend to define democracy in terms of freedom and the political process (i.e., procedural democracy) (Dalton, Shin, and Jou 2007). However, early surveys revealed that institutions, procedures, social benefits, and freedoms and liberties comprised the basic public perceptions of democracy in both developed and developing contexts (Dalton, Shin, and Jou 2007). Using recent data from the ABS, Huang, Yunhan, and Chang (2013) also pointed out that, contrary to the conventional wisdom that people in democracies prefer procedural democracy to substantive democracy, the public's understanding of democracy is not really associated with the extent of democratization. These results suggest two implications: (1) people around the world are "surprisingly consistent" in their definitions of the principles of democracy according to liberal democracy; and (2) the regime type under which people live does not necessarily influence their understandings of democracy.Many empirical studies conducted in neodemocratic and undemocratic countries, however, paint a different picture. Based on survey data obtained from Ghana, Zambia, and South Africa, Bratton and Mattes (2001: 448) indicated that approval of democracy in these countries was "performance-driven," meaning that people tend to perceive democracy as a way of i...