As part of a scholarly endeavor to explore the micro-foundations of international relations amid the evolving dynamics between China and the United States, this chapter examines the Chinese public’s perceptions of the United States. A theoretical framework is established to investigate the cognitive, evaluative, and affective dimensions underlying public views of a foreign country. The findings indicate a declining perception of US influence in Asia, accompanied by an increased awareness of the negative impacts of the United States on China. Additionally, the perception of the United States as a model country has diminished among the Chinese populace. The interplay between China’s engagement with the global community and the Chinese authorities’ manipulation of political socialization represents two competing forces that shape the Chinese public’s view of the United States.

China’s rapid economic development exerts significant political effects. Modernization theory posits, with an optimistic outlook, that sustained economic growth will foster increasing public demands for political liberalization and democratization. Empirical findings presented in this chapter reveal that a majority of Chinese citizens report heightened satisfaction with their civil liberties and political rights following improvements in their overall well-being. Specifically, life satisfaction in the economic sphere demonstrates a positive spillover effect on satisfaction with civic and political rights. Furthermore, life satisfaction across economic, social, and individual dimensions positively influences the political realm, resulting in inflated satisfaction regarding limited civil and political rights.

This chapter begins with a concise overview of China’s economic modernization since the 1980s, highlighting its domestic and international ramifications. It introduces the theoretical framework of political guardianship psychology, emphasizing the importance of studying political psychology within the context of China’s political evolution. This framework offers a valuable lens for understanding public trust in government, attitudes toward democracy, and perceptions of China’s rise in relation to foreign nations. In addition, the chapter elaborates on the book’s central themes and outlines the datasets employed to address the theoretical questions explored throughout the work.

Employing a mixed-methods approach, this chapter surveys and compares how Chinese youth perceive China’s rise in relation to their Asian counterparts. The findings reveal that Chinese youth exhibit greater optimism regarding political stability and nationalism associated with China’s rise. However, they also demonstrate a willingness to acknowledge various social problems that accompany economic growth. Regarding China’s international influence, the majority of Chinese youth express strong confidence in the notion of China’s peaceful rise, while simultaneously recognizing perceived threats from other countries – factors often overlooked in the prevailing China threat thesis. Moreover, Chinese youth tend to attribute the negative evaluations of China by their Asian peers to external factors rather than interpreting them as reflections of China’s “problematic” foreign policy. Interview materials show why and how Chinese foreign policy is justified among Chinese young people.

The past few decades have witnessed a significant religious revival in China, coinciding with a sharp increase in economic inequality. This chapter investigates the impact of religion on the Chinese public’s perceptions of income disparity and political trust. The findings reveal a notable difference in the perceived fairness of personal income distribution between religious and nonreligious individuals. Religious beliefs are positively correlated with a heightened sense of fairness regarding both personal and national income distribution. These perceptions of fairness, in turn, contribute to fostering people’s trust in political institutions and government officials. However, religious beliefs mitigate the positive effect of perceived fairness in income distribution on institutional trust. Consequently, when income distribution is perceived as unfair, institutional trust declines more sharply among religious believers compared to their nonreligious counterparts.

The cultural prerequisites for democracy have garnered significant attention over the past few decades. Confucian values are often viewed as incompatible with liberal democracy and are believed to hinder the process of democratization. This chapter investigates the impact of Confucian values on the commitment of ordinary Chinese citizens to democratic principles. The findings indicate no evidence that Confucian values inhibit the Chinese public’s support for democracy. However, they are negatively associated with liberal democratic values, which are essential for the resilience and consolidation of a nascent democracy.

Democracy is a contested concept; utilizing four rounds of national survey data, this chapter elucidates the characteristics of the Chinese public’s perception of democracy and its longitudinal changes over the past few decades. The findings indicate a growing percentage of individuals who understand democracy in procedural terms. This popular perception of democracy holds significance, as those who adopt a substantive view tend to perceive democracy as less compatible with China and to overestimate the democratic nature of the current regime, compared to those who approach democracy procedurally.

Evaluating attitudes toward democracy within an authoritarian political system is a complex endeavor. Numerous surveys indicate that a significant majority of Chinese citizens express satisfaction with the current level of democracy in China. To elucidate this intellectual puzzle, this chapter examines how differing understandings of democracy influence perceptions of satisfaction with the state of democratic governance. The findings reveal that Chinese citizens who regard elections and political rights as fundamental to democracy tend to be dissatisfied with the existing democratic framework. Similarly, individuals who espouse liberal democratic values also express dissatisfaction with the current state of democracy.