dream and trust - brookings institution › wp-content › uploads › 2014 › ...3.04 2.78 2.84...

P E N G L U

I N S T I T U T E O F S O C I O L O G Y

C H I N E S E A C A D E M Y O F S O C I A L S C I E N C E S

Dream and Trust:Sociopolitical attitudes of college

students in China

Outlines

Social and Political Behaviors

Dreams

（1）Attitudes to the ‘Chinese dream’；

（2）Confidence in social mobility

Trust

（1）Trust in charity channels；

（2）Trust in sociopolitical news sources

Social and Political Behaviors

Discuss publicaffairs withfriends and

relativesvoluntarily

Read andsearch for

sociopoliticalnews from

newspapersand magzines

Writecomments or

paticipatediscussion in

public onsociopolitical

events

Participatesocial charity

activitiesvoluntarily

Donate moneyor goods to

social eventsvoluntarily

Boycott certainproducts due

tosoicopolitical

reasons

Participate inactivities like

protest,demonstration

, and strike

Series1 49.40% 66.20% 15.60% 35.60% 35.10% 16.40% 1.50%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Three Types of Colleges

Discuss Read Write charity Donation Boycott Protestelite 49.10% 69.00% 15.70% 37.00% 34.00% 16.80% 1.10%common 51.80% 67.90% 16.90% 37.10% 35.00% 13.80% 1.30%junior 45.50% 58.10% 13.10% 30.50% 37.40% 20.70% 2.50%

Party membership

50.20%

66.10%

16.00%

35.40% 35.40%

16.30%

1.60%

50.20%

70.70%

15.40%

38.90% 36.60%

18.10%

1.10%

Discuss Read Write charity Donation Boycott Protest

No Yes

Student association membership

Discuss Read Write charity Donation Boycott Protest

None 45.50% 64.20% 13.00% 26.40% 30.40% 14.80% 2.30%member 51.10% 67.90% 15.80% 34.40% 34.80% 16.90% 1.30%enthusiastist 52.60% 69.90% 17.90% 45.40% 40.80% 17.70% 1.40%

‘climb the great fire wall’

Discuss Read Write charity Donation Boycott ProtestYes 58.10% 72.90% 25.60% 41.00% 32.40% 15.70% 2.00%No 52.30% 70.40% 16.70% 36.60% 34.50% 16.20% 1.60%No idea 48.30% 66.50% 11.60% 36.30% 41.30% 19.10% 1.30%

85.09% don't think the CD is a concept of the state; 80.5% don't think it is merely about the elites, either.

85.09% don't think the CD is a concept of the state; 80.5% don't think it is merely about the elites, either.

The majority （67.84%）agrees that the priority of the CD is to realize personal dreams。

The majority （67.84%）agrees that the priority of the CD is to realize personal dreams。

Interpretation of the ‘Chinese dream’(CD): Positive individualism

8.55%

23.60%

46.70%

21.14%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree Strongly agree

My CD is to realize personal dreams and then renaissance of thenation

35.66%

49.43%

11.35%

3.56%

34.44%

46.06%

15.21%

4.28%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree Stronglyagree

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree Stronglyagree

The CD is a concept from the stateand has nothing to do with me

The CD is only about the elites andhas nothing to do with the

common people

Concept of the state: Disagreed 82.35%,85.12% , 85.92%

Merely about the elites: Disagreed 78.88%, 80.46%, 81.25%

Concept of the state: Disagreed 82.35%,85.12% , 85.92%

Merely about the elites: Disagreed 78.88%, 80.46%, 81.25%

More preference on the priority of CD as personal dream for the poor: Agreed 64.86%,67.84%,68.72%

More preference on the priority of CD as personal dream for the poor: Agreed 64.86%,67.84%,68.72%

We ask the respondents to evaluate their family economic situation compared to their cohorts: Good, Ok, and Bad

10.31%

24.74%

42.86%

22.09%

7.93%

24.23%

47.59%

20.25%

9.13%

22.15%

46.36%

22.36%

StronglyDisagree

Disagree Agree Strongly agree

My CD is to realize personal dreams and then renaissance of thenation

Good Ok Bad

30.28%

51.55%

14.62%

3.55%

28.95%

49.93%

16.54%

4.58%

33.95%

51.17%

11.60%

3.27%

32.97%

47.49%

15.43%

4.11%

40.42%45.50%

9.99%4.09%

39.01%42.24%

14.35%

4.40%

Stro

ngly

Dis

agre

e

Dis

agre

e

Agr

ee

Stro

ngly

agr

ee

Stro

ngly

Dis

agre

e

Dis

agre

e

Agr

ee

Stro

ngly

agr

ee

The CD is a concept from the stateand has nothing to do with me

The CD is only about the elitesand has nothing to do with the

common people

Good Ok Bad

Confidence on social mobility

5.60%

19.60%

52.90%

21.80%

5.40%

19.80%

46.40%

28.40%

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

People still have plenty of oppertunities to succeed in works if work hardenough.

Kids from poor family still have plenty of oppertunities to enroll in eliteuniversities through self promotion

Split on the recruitment test for public servants

6.00%

36.70%

43.00%

14.30%

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly agree

People cannot succeed in test for officials without strong connections

Series1

More optimistic for the poor on general upward mobility?Agreed 68.19%, 76.3%, 75.39%, from good, OK, to bad

8.39%

23.42%

44.92%

23.27%

4.60%

19.38%

54.93%

21.10%

6.25%

18.35%

52.69%

22.71%


People still have plenty of oppertunities to succeed in works if work hard enough.

Good Ok Bad

More optimistic for the rich on public post testAgreed 51.4%，56.1%，61.42%

8.69%

39.91% 39.62%

11.78%

6.04%

37.86%

42.78%

13.32%

5.25%

33.86%

44.06%

16.82%


People cannot succeed in test for officials without strong connections

Good Ok Bad

Students from rural (76.54%) are slightly optimistic on elite college entrance test than students from urban (73.19%)

5.02%

18.44%

45.69%

30.85%

5.52%

21.29%

47.85%

25.34%


Kids from poor family still have plenty of oppertunities to enroll in elite universities through self promotion.

rural urban

Gender split on gender inequality

12.80%

39.10%

34.80%

13.30%

5.20%

19.80%

44.60%

30.30%


Females have to worker harder than males to be succeed

Male Female

Trust in sociopolitical news sources

84.90%81.30%

75.70% 75.50%71.40%

44.80%

34%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Statement from thecentral government

State mainstreampress

Statement fromyour local

government

Foreignmainstream press

Marketizeddomestic press.

The VIP account onweibo.

Internet forum.

Series1

Party members trust more except to the Internet forum.Party members trust more except to the Internet forum.

The great fire wall (GFW)Students who climb the GFW trust more in foreign, self-media, and the Internet

The great fire wall (GFW)Students who climb the GFW trust more in foreign, self-media, and the Internet

3.17

2.95

3.05

2.81

2.86

2.43

2.25

2.97

2.78

2.83

2.71

2.88

2.45

2.31

Statement from the centralgovernment

Statement from your localgovernment

State mainstream press

Marketized domestic press.

Foreign mainstream press

The VIP account on weibo.

Internet forum.

Yes No

3.12

2.91

3

2.79

2.86

2.43

2.27

3.16

2.95

3.04

2.8

2.88

2.44

2.23







Internet forum.

Yes No

Gender：Femle trust more than male, except on the first two。

Gender：Femle trust more than male, except on the first two。

Rural-urban：Students from urban are more likely to trust in foreign and marketized medias。

Rural-urban：Students from urban are more likely to trust in foreign and marketized medias。

3.08

2.84

2.94

2.73

2.79

2.46

2.32

3.18

2.99

3.08

2.85

2.92

2.42

2.21







Internet forum.

Female Male

3.19

2.93

3.04

2.78

2.84

2.45

2.29

3.07

2.9

2.97

2.82

2.88

2.42

2.22







Internet forum.

urban rural

Trust in charity channels (mean)

2.97

2.79 2.78

2.532.45

2.36 2.35 2.34

friends andclassmates

state organs private organs foreign organs third-partypayment

corporateactivities

celebrity activities Red cross

Conclusion 1

Chinese college students’ interpretation of the ‘Chinese dream’ is connected with their dreams/desires on personal realization.

Most are optimistic on upward social mobility through self-promotion, while more than half are pessimistic on competition into the public posts and gender issues.

To promote confidence in social mobility needs to create more equalities, particularly inside the state system.

Conclusion 2

Chinese college students are NOT apolitical, though they barely (have the chance to) participate into radical political activities like protest and demonstration.

More than 60% read sociopolitical news, almost half discuss politics, 15% write comments, and 16% boycott products for political reasons.

One third participate into philanthropic activities or donate voluntarily .

Elite students prefer to talk and read, while students from junior college are more likely to act.

Party membership might not an effective indicator in predicting political behaviors vis-à-vis other sociopolitical involvements.

Conclusion 3

Most students trust more in statement of government and organized public medias than in less organized self-media.

A counter-movement on the Internet might be emerging.

Charity channels with commercial backgrounds earn less trust than state and civic ones, while those with scandals need long time to recover.

Internet behaviors have significant impact on trust, but socioeconomic differentiation also matters.

dream and trust - brookings institution › wp-content › uploads › 2014 › ...3.04 2.78 2.84...

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