Managing Nationalism

Experiments in China

Bibliographic Data

ID6285375
AuthorsKai Quek (0000-0001-8403-4280, Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, corresponding author), Samuel S H Chan (0000-0003-3848-8972, Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong)
Year2025
Volume69
Issue2-3
Pages381-405
Publication date2025-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Conflict Resolution (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0027 • E-ISSN: 1552-8766
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/00220027241232961
OpenAlexW4392162751
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited60

One of the most urgent problems in politics today is to understand and manage nationalism. In particular, much attention is paid to the dangers of nationalism in China, but to date, there is little causal evidence on whether and how the government can rein in the anti-foreign sentiments of a nationalistic public. We fielded national survey experiments in China to evaluate the persuasion devices used by the government to contain anti-foreign sentiments. Through a novel “question-as-treatment” design, we identified their effectiveness in making citizens more likely to cooperate with a foreign rival at the operational level, even when they did not always change how people felt at the emotional level. The persuasion devices, however, were less effective on highly patriotic citizens, unless it was salient to them that the government was trying to persuade them. These results contribute a first set of causal evidence on whether anti-foreign sentiments can be contained by the Chinese government, and how

China · Foreign policy · Government (linguistics · Nationalism · Persuasion · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Salient · Set (abstract data type · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Psychology · Social Psychology

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