Seeking Channels for Engagement: Media Use and Political Communication by China's Rising Middle Class

Abstract

The new middle class represents China's economic and social elite. This study examines the political communication patterns of this new social class. Surveys were drawn from Beijing. The majority of respondents had a strong interest in political issues, but political communication with the state was limited. Respondents turned to the mass media as a channel to participate in political discussions. Most expressed their inclination to discuss political issues and express their views in online forums and the blogosphere, engaging in digital forms rather than traditional forms of political participation. The role of the mass media in political communication among the middle class is conflicting. On one hand, the mass media has weakened the middle class’ interest in political communication but increased its appetite for popular and consumer culture; on the other hand, the media has strengthened its role as a mediator between the state and citizens in terms of public and political affairs.