Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-jr42d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T16:32:27.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reassessing Trust in the Central Government: Evidence from Five National Surveys*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2016

Lianjiang Li
Lianjiang Li*
Affiliation:
Department of government and public administration, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Email: lianli@cuhk.edu.hk.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper argues that popular trust in the Chinese central government is significantly weaker than five national surveys suggest. The evidence comes from these surveys. First, the surveys show that between one- and two-thirds of respondents hold hierarchical trust, i.e. they have more trust in the central government than they do in local government. Second, all other things being equal, people who are less satisfied with political democracy in China tend to be less trusting of the central government. Finally, hierarchical trust holders tend to be less satisfied with political democracy in the country than those who express equal trust for central and local governments. Put together, the three findings show that hierarchical trust holders are less trusting of the central government than equal trust holders with regard to developing political democracy, although they sound equally confident. The fact that so many respondents hold hierarchical trust indicates that trust in the central government is significantly weaker than it looks.

摘要

本文认为中国民众对中央政府的信任度显著低于五个全国调查显示的水平。证据来自这五个调查。首先, 调查显示介于三分之一至三分之二的受访人持差序信任, 即对中央政府的信任度高于对地方政府的信任度。第二, 控制其他情况, 对中国政治民主状况满意度越低, 对中央政府的信任度越低。最后, 与持同等信任的人相比, 持差序信任的人对中国政治民主状况满意度较低。综合起来, 这三个发现显示持差序信任的人在发展政治民主这个问题上对中央政府的信任度低于持同等信任的人, 尽管这两组人表面看来对中央的信任度相同。为数众多的人持差序信任这一事实表明民众对中央政府的信任度显著低于其表面呈现的水平。

Keywords

political trusthierarchical trustChinatrust in the central governmentintegrated measurement of trustauthoritarian resilience政治信任差序信任对中央政府的信任综合测量信任威权制度的韧性
Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 225 , March 2016 , pp. 100 - 121
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

The author acknowledges the financial support of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (Project ID: CUHK 450111). He thanks Bruce Dickson, Xiang Gao, Vicki Hesli, John Kennedy, Melanie Manion, Kevin O'Brien, Wei Shan, Wenfang Tang, Yihan Xiong and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts.

References

Abramson, Paul R. 1972. “Political efficacy and political trust among black schoolchildren: two explanations.” Journal of Politics 34(4), 1243–75.Google Scholar
Ambler, John. 1975. “Trust in political and nonpolitical authorities in France.” Comparative Politics 8(1), 31–58.Google Scholar
Anderson, Christopher J., and Tverdova, Yuliya V.. 2003. “Corruption, political allegiances, and attitudes toward government in contemporary democracies.” American Journal of Political Science 47(1), 91–109.Google Scholar
AsiaBarometer Survey. 2003, 2006. AsiaBarometer is a registered trademark of Professor Takashi Inoguchi, president of the University of Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and director of the AsiaBarometer Project (www.asiabarometer.org). Data are used with permission.Google Scholar
Survey, Asian Barometer. 2002, 2008. The Asian Barometer Project is co-directed by Professors Fu Hu and Yun-han Chu and receives major funding support from Taiwan's Ministry of Education, Academia Sinica and National Taiwan University. The Asian Barometer Project Office (www.asianbarometer.org) is solely responsible for data distribution. Data are used with permission.Google Scholar
Barber, Bernard. 1983. The Logic and Limits of Trust. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Bernstein, Thomas P., and Lü, Xiaobo. 2003. Taxation without Representation in Contemporary Rural China. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Chan, Hon S. 2004. “Cadre personnel management in China: the nomenklatura system, 1990–1998.” The China Quarterly 179, 703–734.Google Scholar
Chang, Gordon G. 2001. The Coming Collapse of China. New York: Random House.Google Scholar
Chanley, Virginia A., Rudolph, Thomas J. and Rahn, Wendy M.. 2000. “The origins and consequences of public trust in government: a time series analysis.” Public Opinion Quarterly 64(3), 239–256.Google Scholar
Chen, Dingding. 2015. “Sorry, America: China is NOT going to collapse,” National Interest, 10 March, http://nationalinterest.org/feature/sorry-america-china-not-going-collapse-12389. Accessed 9 November 2015.Google Scholar
Chen, Jie. 2004. Popular Political Support in Urban China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Chen, Jie, Lu, Chunlong and Yang, Yiyin. 2007. “Popular support for grassroots self-government in urban China: findings from a Beijing survey.” Modern China 33(4), 505–528.Google Scholar
Survey, China. 2008. See Appendix. http://thechinasurvey.tamu.edu/html/home.html.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, McClocky, Herbert, Shanks, J. Merrill and Sniderman, Paul. 1975. “Personal and political sources of alienation.” British Journal of Political Science 5(1), 1–31.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, and Muste, Christopher. 1999. “Trust in government.” In Robinson, John P., Shaver, Phillip R. and Wrightsman, Lawrence S. (eds.), Measures of Political Attitudes. San Diego: Academic Press, 465–532.Google Scholar
Cole, Richard L., and Kincaid, John. 2000. “Public opinion and American federalism: perspectives on taxes, spending and trust.” Publius: Journal of Federalism 30(1–2), 189–201.Google Scholar
Craig, Stephen, Niemi, Richard G. and Silver, Glenn E.. 1990. “Political efficacy and trust: a report on the NES pilot study items.” Political Behavior 12(3), 289–314.Google Scholar
Cui, Ernan, Tao, Ran, Warner, Travis J. and Yang, Dali L.. 2015. “How do land takings affect political trust in rural China?” Political Studies 63(S1), 91–109.Google Scholar
Easton, David. 1965. A Systems Analysis of Political Life. New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Easton, David. 1975. “A re-assessment of the concept of political support.” British Journal of Political Science 5(4), 435–457.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, Jennifer, and Wolak, Jennifer. 2014. “The roots of trust in local government in western Europe.” International Political Science Review. DOI: 0192512114545119.Google Scholar
Frederickson, H. George. 1997. The Spirit of Public Administration. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.Google Scholar
Göbel, Christian. 2011. “Uneven policy implementation in rural China.” The China Journal 65, 53–76.Google Scholar
Guang, Lei. 1996. “Elusive democracy: conceptual change and the Chinese democracy movement, 1978–79 to 1989.” Modern China 22(4), 417–447.Google Scholar
Guo, Xiaolin. 2001. “Land expropriation and rural conflicts in China.” The China Quarterly 166, 422–439.Google Scholar
Hill, David B. 1981. “Attitude generalization and the measurement of trust in American leadership.” Political Behavior 3(3), 257–270.Google Scholar
Kalleberg, Arthur L. 1966. “The logic of comparison.” World Politics 19(1), 69–82.Google Scholar
Kennedy, John J. 2009. “Maintaining popular support for the Chinese Communist Party: the influence of education and the state-controlled media.” Political Studies 47(3), 517–536.Google Scholar
Kinder, Donald R. 1981. “Presidents, prosperity, and public opinion.” Public Opinion Quarterly 45(1), 1–21.Google Scholar
King, Gary, Honaker, James, Joseph, Anne and Scheve, Kenneth. 2001. “Analyzing incomplete political science data: an alternative algorithm for multiple imputation.” American Political Science Review 95(1), 49–69.Google Scholar
Lampton, David M. (ed.). 1987. Policy Implementation in Post-Mao China. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Landry, Pierre F., and Shen, Mingming. 2005. “Reaching migrants in survey research: the use of the global positioning systems to reduce coverage bias in China.” Political Analysis 13(1), 1–22.Google Scholar
Lei, Ya-Wen. 2011. “The political consequences of the rise of the internet: political beliefs and practices of Chinese netizens.” Political Communication 28(3), 291–322.Google Scholar
Levi, Margaret, and Stoker, Laura. 2000. “Political trust and trustworthiness.” Annual Review of Political Science 3, 475–508.Google Scholar
Lewis-Beck, Michael S., Tang, Wenfang and Martini, Nicholas F.. 2014. “A Chinese popularity function: sources of government support.” Political Research Quarterly 67(1), 16–25.Google Scholar
Li, Cheng. 2012. “The end of the CCP's resilient authoritarianism? A tripartite assessment of shifting power in China.” The China Quarterly 211, 595–623.Google Scholar
Li, Lianjiang. 2004. “Political trust in rural China.” Modern China 30(2), 228–258.Google Scholar
Li, Lianjiang. 2008. “Political trust and petitioning in the Chinese countryside.” Comparative Politics 40(2), 209–226.Google Scholar
Li, Lianjiang. 2013. “The magnitude and resilience of trust in the center: evidence from interviews with petitioners in Beijing and a local survey in rural China.” Modern China 39(1), 3–36.Google Scholar
Li, Lianjiang, and O'Brien, Kevin J.. 1996. “Villagers and popular resistance in contemporary China.” Modern China 22(1), 28–61.Google Scholar
Liu, Mingxing, Xu, Zhigang, Tao, Ran and Su, Fubing. 2012. “Rural tax reform and the extractive capacity of the local state in China.” China Economic Review 23(1), 190–203.Google Scholar
Lü, Xiaobo. 2014. “Social policy and regime legitimacy: the effects of education reform in China.” American Political Science Review 108(2), 423–437.Google Scholar
Manion, Melanie. 1985. “The cadre management system post-Mao: the appointment, promotion, transfer and removal of Party and state leaders.” The China Quarterly 102, 203–233.Google Scholar
Manion, Melanie. 2006. “Democracy, community, trust: the impact of elections in rural China.” Comparative Political Studies 39(3), 301–324.Google Scholar
Mishler, William, and Rose, Richard. 1997. “Trust, distrust and skepticism: popular evaluations of civil and political institutions in post-communist societies.” Journal of Politics 59(2), 418–451.Google Scholar
Mishler, William, and Rose, Richard. 2001. “What are the origins of political trust? Testing institutional and cultural theories in post-communist societies.” Comparative Political Studies 34(1), 30–62.Google Scholar
Morris, Stephen D., and Klesner, Joseph L.. 2010. “Corruption and trust: theoretical considerations and evidence from Mexico.” Comparative Political Studies 43(10), 1258–85.Google Scholar
Nathan, Andrew J. 1985. Chinese Democracy. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Nathan, Andrew J. 2003. “Authoritarian resilience.” Journal of Democracy 14(1), 6–17.Google Scholar
Newton, Kenneth. 2001. “Trust, social capital, civil society, and democracy.” International Political Science Review 22(2), 201–214.Google Scholar
Nilson, Douglas C., and Nilson, Linda Burzotta. 1980. “Trust in elites and protest orientation: an integrative approach.” Political Behavior 2(4), 385–404.Google Scholar
O'Brien, Kevin J., and Li, Lianjiang. 1999. “Selective policy implementation in rural China.” Comparative Politics 31(2), 167–186.Google Scholar
O'Brien, Kevin J., and Li, Lianjiang. 2006. Rightful Resistance in Rural China. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Peng, Yali. 1998. “Democracy and political discourses in China.” Modern China 24(4), 408–444.Google Scholar
Center, Pew Research. 1998. “How Americans view government: deconstructing distrust,” 10 March, http://www.people-press.org/1998/03/10/how-americans-view-government/. Accessed 9 November 2015.Google Scholar
Center, Pew Research. 2010. “Distrust, discontent, anger and partisan rancor: the people and their government,” 18 April, http://www.people-press.org/2010/04/18/distrust-discontent-anger-and-partisan-rancor/. Accessed 9 November 2015.Google Scholar
Pye, Lucian. 1992. The Spirit of Chinese Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Saich, Anthony. 2007. “Citizens’ assessments of governance in rural and urban China.” Journal of Chinese Political Science 12(1), 1–28.Google Scholar
Shambaugh, David. 2015. “The coming Chinese crackup,” The Wall Street Journal, 6 March, http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-coming-chinese-crack-up-1425659198. Accessed 9 November 2015.Google Scholar
Shi, Tianjian. 2001. “Cultural values and political trust: a comparison of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan.” Comparative Politics 33(4), 401–419.Google Scholar
Tang, Min, and Huhe, Narisong. 2014. “The variant effect of decentralization on trust in national and local governments in Asia.” Political Studies. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9248.12177.Google Scholar
Tsai, Lily L. 2007. “Solidary groups, informal accountability, and local public goods provision in rural China.” American Political Science Review 101(2), 355–372.Google Scholar
Tsui, Kai-yuen, and Wang, Youqiang. 2004. “Between separate stoves and a single menu: fiscal decentralization in China.” The China Quarterly 177, 71–90.Google Scholar
Yang, Qing, and Tang, Wenfang. 2010. “Exploring the sources of institutional trust in China: culture, mobilization, or performance?” Asian Politics and Policy 2(3), 415–436.Google Scholar
Zhong, Yang. 2014. “Do Chinese people trust their local government, and why?” Problems of Post-Communism 61(3), 31–44.Google Scholar
Zhu, Jiangnan, Lu, Jie and Shi, Tianjian. 2013. “When grapevine news meets mass media: different information sources and popular assessments of government corruption in mainland China.” Comparative Political Studies 46(8), 920–946.Google Scholar