The long shadow: Social mobility and political participation in urban China, 2006–2012

Abstract

Using a diagonal reference model to analyze data from three waves of Chinese General Social Surveys conducted between 2006 and 2012, we examine how social mobility affects political participation in urban China. We classify political participation into three main categories: voting participation (grassroots elections in the People's Congress and neighborhood committees); voluntary participation (civic activities in social organizations and NGOs); and mixed participation (activities in state corporatism organizations). Our findings demonstrate that there is an asymmetry effect of social mobility in voluntary participation in which the upwardly mobile tend to adapt more to their destinations, while the downwardly mobile tend to adhere more to their origins. But in both voting and mixed participation, political behaviors are more influenced by destination effect. These findings suggest that despite increased civic engagement in NGOs and nonprofit organizations as a mode of voluntary participation, identification with the party apparatus still remains an important factor in explaining the political behaviors of the upwardly mobile in China. When people rise in class status, they tend to be more politically conservative and to build alliances with state agencies by participating in party-sponsored political initiatives.