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Conviction of Multiparty Competition and Elections among Chinese College Students: A List Experiment Study

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Abstract

In confronting the dominant scholarly narrative, which asserts that the Chinese populace predominantly views democracy through the prism of free expression, consultative processes, and a 'people-oriented' approach, rather than in terms of competitive elections or a multi-party system, this study introduces a critical counter-perspective. It posits that prior research has failed to account for the sensitivity surrounding the question of democracy in China, where direct queries tend to elicit responses that conform more to societal expectations than to authentic beliefs. By deploying a list experiment involving upwards of 4,000 Chinese college students, this investigation uncovers an unexpected consonance with Western democratic principles, challenging the entrenched idea of a unique 'Chinese-style democracy.' The research transcends traditional boundaries by revealing that a significant portion of Chinese university students not only espouse the idea of democratic competition among political parties for top leadership positions but do so despite concerns about the potential for political upheaval. It further elucidates that for these students, the specific mechanism for selecting the top leader—be it direct election by the populace or appointment by the National People's Congress—is not the quintessential element of democracy. This exploration, through its innovative methodology and substantial findings, significant contributes to our comprehension of political socialization within the contemporary Chinese context, urging a reexamination of the very nature of Chinese democracy.

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  1. Further information about V-Dem can be found at https://www.v-dem-net.

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  1. These author contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yu-tzung Chang

  2. Department of Political Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Yu-Sung Su

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Chang, Yt., Su, YS. Conviction of Multiparty Competition and Elections among Chinese College Students: A List Experiment Study. J OF CHIN POLIT SCI (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11366-024-09887-1

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