Voluntary Sacrifice of Freedom: Why Are Some Chinese Nationals Supporting Government Censorship?

04 October 2021, Version 1
This content is an early or alternative research output and has not been peer-reviewed at the time of posting.

Abstract

While the effects of government censorship are widely explored in the literature, most works on government censorship have assumed a nature intention for citizens to seek freedom of speech in authoritarian regimes. However, citizens in authoritarian regimes may actually support government censorship due to various reasons. In this study, I explore the potential reasons of citizen's support towards government censorship in China among Chinese nationals both domestic and abroad. I proposes that willingness to support censorship is influenced by one's experience with political institutions and the political environment. The government could try to provide reasonings on censorship that aligns its interest in repressive behavior and citizens' personal interests to gain support on censorship.

Keywords

China
censorship
authoritarian governance

Supplementary materials

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Description
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Summary of Upcoming Changes
Description
The uploaded version of the draft is before the analysis on a pilot survey experiment conducted in the U.S. on respondents with Chinese origins. Therefore, the draft will soon been updated once the write-up is complete. Meanwhile, this summary presents the proposed changes to the current draft.
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APSA 2021 Presentation
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The presentation slides for APSA 2021 Annual Conference
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