Political Attitudes of the Chinese Young People: An Empirical Study Based on Anti-Corruption Issue

Abstract

For the Chinese government, to win political support of the young people is to win the future and hope of China. How to measure the Chinese youth’s political attitudes? Their political enthusiasm, participation in major political events, and recognition of government work, can reflect their political attitudes to some extent. In recent years, their attitudes towards anti-corruption issue are a measure of their most critical political attitudes. Based on a survey experiment frame, this paper examines their attitudes towards China’s anti-corruption and influencing factors on it. From aspect of the young individuals, the young people with different demographic characteristics take on different attention to anti-corruption, and then produce different evaluations of it. To investigate the influence of external factors, the study designs a controllable factor - media coverage on anti-corruption. This empirical study shows that, the effect of media coverage on the young people’s evaluations dependents on their individual characteristics. In the end, this paper suggests the government care about the young people who make low evaluation of anti-corruption situation and take strategies for inspiring their political enthusiasms and improving their political trust.