Popular Political Support in Urban China [Paperback]

Has the current political system in the People's Republic of China lost its legitimacy in the eyes of the Chinese public? On the basis of three carefully drawn surveys of Beijing residents between 1995 and 1999, the author finds that diffuse support for the current political systembased on attitudes toward institutions and valuesremains strong, at least among city-dwellers, though it is gradually declining. Specific support for current political authorities, as measured by evaluations of their performance in major policy domains, is much weaker, with many citizens evaluating the authorities' performance as mediocre.In analyzing the longitudinal data presented here, the author finds that the same set of key sociodemographic attributes and sociopolitical orientationsvariablyinfluence citizens' attitudes toward the political system and their evaluations of leaders' performance. Further, the study shows that citizens' attitudes toward the system, on the one hand, and their evaluation of incumbents' performance on the other, have different impacts on forms of political participation, such as voting and contacting authorities. It is sometimes assumed that popular support for the current regime in Beijing has fallen in recent years. . . . InPopular Political Support in Urban ChinaJie Chen presents evidence both supporting and challenging this view. . . . Chen's book contributes to our understanding of popular attitudes and reminds us that the Chinese Communist Party continues to enjoy considerable legitimacy. It is highly recommended to readers. On the basis of three carefully drawn surveys of Beijing residents between 1995 and 1999, the author finds that diffuse support for the current political systembased on attitudes toward institutions and valuesremains strong, at least among city-dwellers, though it is gradually declining. Despite obstacles presented by Chinese authorities, the number of reliable survey-based studies of politics in China by schol#j