A cross-societal study on the role of the mass media in political socialization in China and Taiwan

Abstract

Grounded in two culturally similar yet politically different societies, this comparative study found that Chinese in mainland China and Taiwan held similarly negative efficacious views towards politics despite the different sociopolitical changes over the past decade. Such a similarity may be the consequence of a shared cultural heritage, particularly the influence of traditional values of obedience and submission to authority. On the other hand, mainland Chinese were more negative and Taiwanese more positive towards authorities. The amount of attention both groups paid to the media also correlated strongly with attitudes towards authorities and political efficacy, while media exposure appeared to have significant effect only in Taiwan. Moreover, attention to political news showed sustained relationships with attitude towards authorities and political efficacy when it was considered simultaneously with demographic variables.