Chinese citizens’ attitudes towards the EU and the China-EU relationship. In search of an explanation

Abstract

Abstract

What is the attitude of Chinese urban citizens towards the European Union? Are Chinese citizens optimistic about the future relationship between China and the European Union? How can we explain these attitudes? These are the key questions we want to answer in this contribution. The predictive model is based on the theories that have been successful in explaining attitudes towards out-groups in general: direct contact, knowledge, image, conflict perception, trust, social identity, and political socialization theory. We used data from the 2010 ‘Chinese Views of EU’ research project (N = 2,410). Our findings indicate that a great majority of Chinese urban citizens have a positive attitude towards the EU and are optimistic about the future relationship between China and the EU. Regression analyses show most empirical evidence for the image theory; attitude towards the EU and optimism about the China-EU relationship correlate most with the images of the EU and EU citizens. Because personal experiences with EU countries or citizens are limited, attitudes and the images that underlie these attitudes must be mainly based on informative and affective messages from relevant others and mass media. The respondents indicate that television - which in China is heavily controlled by political leaders - is their most important source of information about EU countries. Mediation analyses support this expectation, and show that the effect of mass media on attitudes and optimism is mediated by perceptions of the EU and EU citizens. Implications of our research for Chinese political elites and EU public diplomacy in China are discussed.

Keywords: China - attitude towards EU – attitude towards China – European Union relationship – Political Socialization – Image Theory

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Bibliography: van der Noll, Jolanda/Dekker, Henk: Chinese citizens’ attitudes towards the EU and the China-EU relationship. In search of an explanation, PCS, 1-2014, pp. 17-33. https://doi.org/10.3224/pcs.v5i1.19816