Mass Political Interest in Urban China: An Empirical Study

In an increasingly materialistic society, are Chinese people still interested in politics and state affairs? More importantly, which type of people tend to be more interested in politics in China? This paper answers these two central questions. A study of these two questions carries both theoretical and practical implications. Based on a cross-regional survey of Chinese urban residents in ten Chinese cities, it was found that Chinese urban respondents are still interested or very interested in politics and state affairs. It was also found that people who show more interest in politics tend to be people who are dissatisfied with government policy performance and favour a multiparty political system and further political reform in China. The implication is that, if given the opportunity, the anti-regime people are more likely to participate in conventional and unconventional political activities.