Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America

Received: 29 July 2024     Accepted: 2 September 2024     Published: 11 September 2024
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Background In the context of globalization, as one of the most significant bilateral relations in the world, the dynamics of China-US relations exert a considerable influence on the world. Simultaneously, the accelerated advancement of Internet technology has provided a more expansive array of avenues for acquiring information. Through Social media, news websites, and international forums, Chinese youth groups demonstrate a heightened interest in global affairs. However, the divergence between disparate cultural and political systems has resulted in Chinese youth developing nuanced and multifaceted political dispositions when engaging with the United States and other Western nations. It is therefore imperative to study the political attitudes of Chinese youth, particularly to the United States. Objectives The concept of political attitude expression refers to the external manifestation of an individual's ideological position's usefulness. However, there is a lack of empirical research examining the alignment between an individual's inner motivation and their expression of political attitudes. Based on the aforementioned information, an experimental study was devised and executed with the aim of discerning political attitudes. The study focused on individuals' external expressions of political attitudes and their intrinsic motivations, specifically in relation to the United States. The objective was to examine whether specific factors could potentially influence the external manifestation of individuals' internal ideologies. Main ideas Various factors contribute to the expression of individual ideologies. The ideologies expressed by individuals do not solely reflect their ideological beliefs, but rather arise from a complex interplay of moderating factors influenced by individual rationality regarding economic costs and social circumstances. Conclusions (1) The political attitudes of Chinese youth toward the United States in general demonstrate a left-leaning trend, with low favorability toward the U.S. (2) Economic interests exert an influence on ideological expression, and individuals holding a left-leaning ideological position may elect to accept financial incentives and formally demonstrate high favorability toward the U.S., driven by economic interests. (3) Transformations in the social milieu may precipitate a phenomenon whereby individuals are inclined to "follow the crowd," concealing their authentic political dispositions and eschewing genuine political expression.

Published in Humanities and Social Sciences (Volume 12, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14
Page(s) 125-141
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Ideological Expression, Ideological Position, Political Behaviour, Political Attitudes

References
[1] The Complete Works of Marx and Engels, Vol. 1, [M] Beijing: People's Publishing House, 1956: 187. [in Chinese]
[2] Chen Jiao'e, Wang Guohua (2013). Research on policy agenda-setting mechanism in the Internet era. Chinese Administration, (01): 28-33. [in Chinese]
[3] Chen, Liang (2015). Political indifference: theoretical interpretation, assessment indicators and means of breaking it - based on the dimension of political motivation. Journal of Central South University: Social Science Edition, 2015, 21(6): 7. [in Chinese]
[4] Dong Z, Wenbo C (2021). Do Birds of a Different Feather Flock Together? An Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Ideology on Friendship in China. China: An International Journal, 19(1): 23-49.
[5] Downs A (1957). An economic theory of political action in a democracy. Journal of political economy, 65(2): 135-150.
[6] Dryzek J S (2002). Deliberative democracy and beyond: Liberals, critics, contestations [M]. Oxford University Press on Demand.
[7] Duan Mengqi, Li Rongrong (2020). Reconceptualizing political attitudes: A review and reflection based on Western studies. Journal of Shanghai University (Social Science Edition), 37(06): 122-138. [in Chinese]
[8] Dubois E, Blank G (2018). The echo chamber is overstated: the moderating effect of political interest and diverse media. information, communication & society, 21(5): 729-745.
[9] Fan, Y. Yang. (2023). A study of the political polarization of the German electorate under the impact of right-wing populism. Contemporary Issues in World Socialism (04), 110-126+164.
[10] Fei Jiuhao (2015). The transmutation of China's public policy agenda-setting model in the network society: the example of "PM_(2.5) into the national air quality monitoring and governance system". Journal of Leshan Normal College, 30(05): 96-100.
[11] Fiorina M P (1976). The voting decision: instrumental and expressive aspects. The journal of politics, 38(2): 390-413.
[12] Gilbert D T (1998). Ordinary personology. The handbook of social psychology, 2: 89-150.
[13] Gill M J, Andreychik M R (2014). The Social Explanatory Styles Questionnaire: Assessing moderators of basic social-cognitive phenomena including spontaneous trait inference, the fundamental attribution error, and moral blame. ploS one, 9(7): e100886.
[14] Grasso, M. T., Farrall, S., Gray, E., Hay, C., and Jennings, W. (2019). Thatcher's children, blair's babies, political socialization and trickle-down value change: an age, period and cohort analysis. Br. J. Politic. Sci. 49, 17–36.
[15] Guo Xiaodong (2021). Research on the ideological dynamics and leading path of new social class people [J]. Journal of Jiangsu Socialist Academy, 22(06): 25-32. [in Chinese]
[16] Hoewe, J., & Peacock, C. (2020). The power of media in shaping political attitudes. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 19-24.
[17] Hu Jian (2021). The basic experience of the Chinese Communist Party in enhancing the political identity of the people since the reform and opening up. Deng Xiaoping Studies, (03): 78-85.
[18] Iqbal, S. (2012). Exploring political attitude among educated youth: A study at university of Sargodha. Academic Research International, 3(3), 375.
[19] Ji-Wu Yin. (2021). Research progress in international political psychology after the Cold War: A theoretical review. Social Science (10), 3-14.
[20] Jisi, W. (1997). The role of the United States as a global and pacific power: A view from China. The Pacific Review, 10(1), 1–18.
[21] Jones E E, Davis K E (1965). A theory of correspondent inferences: From acts to dispositions. Advances in experimental social psychology, 2(1): 219-266.
[22] Jones P, Dawson P (2008). How much do voters know? An analysis of motivation and political awareness. Scottish Journal of Political Economy,, 55(2): 123-142.
[23] Kelman H C (1958). Compliance, identification, and internalization three processes of attitude change. journal of conflict resolution, 2(1): 51-60.
[24] Lee D R (1988). Politics, ideology, and the power of public choice. Virginia Law Review: 191-198.
[25] Li Shuaixu. Research on the integration of red culture into the political identity education of college students [D]. Xihua Normal University, 2021.
[26] Li Zhanfang, Peng Mengying. The portrayal of the two sides in the "US-China trade war" by the mainstream news media in the United States--The Washington Post as an example [J]. Journal of North China Electric Power University (Social Science Edition), 2019(05): 107-114.
[27] Liu Huizhi, Sun Qion, Shi Chunhua, Chen Youqing (2013). Political ideology: Influencing factors, psychological mechanisms and roles. Advances in Psychological Science, 21(11): 2073-2081. [in Chinese]
[28] Liu Xianrui, Wang Xisheng (2020). The transformation and construction of the receptive psychology of the subject of ideological and political education. Thought Theory Education, (11): 56-61.
[29] Ma Deyong, Lu Yizhou. Information contact, authoritarian personality, ideology and online nationalism-an analysis of the formation mechanism of Chinese netizens' political attitudes [J]. Journal of Tsinghua University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 2019, 34(03): 180-192+197.
[30] Malle B F, Holbrook J (2012). Is there a hierarchy of social inferences? The likelihood and speed of inferring intentionality, mind, and personality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 102(4): 661-684.
[31] Meng TG, Ning J (2018). The political consequences of "depoliticization" of the Internet - An empirical study based on generalized propensity value matching. Exploration, (03): 63-76.
[32] Molden D C, Plaks J E, Dweck C S (2006). "Meaningful" social inferences: effects of implicit theories on inferential processes. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 42(6): 738-752.
[33] Morgan G S, Mullen E, Skitka L J (2010). When values and attributions collide: Liberals' and conservatives' values motivate attributions for alleged misdeeds. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(9): 1241-1254.
[34] Moskowitz G B, Olcaysoy Okten I (2016). Spontaneous goal inference (SGI). Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(1): 64-80.
[35] Na J, Kitayama S (2011). Spontaneous trait inference is culture-specific: Behavioral and neural evidence. psychological science, 22(8): 1025-1032.
[36] O'Brien K S, Hunter J A, Banks M (2007). Implicit anti-fat bias in physical educators: physical attributes, ideology and socialization. international journal of obesity, 31(2): 308-314.
[37] Olcaysoy Okten I, Moskowitz G B (2020). Spontaneous goal versus spontaneous trait inferences: How ideology shapes attributions and explanations. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(1): 177-188.
[38] Oshagan H (1996). Reference group influence on opinion expression. international journal of public opinion research,, 8(4): 335-354.
[39] P. H. Gries (2004), China's New Nationalism: Pride, Politics, and Diplomacy, Berkeley: University of California Press.
[40] Pang, Q., Pan, J., & Lin, L. (2022). China’s growing power makes its youth hawkish? Evidence from the Chinese youth’s attitudes toward the US and Japan. Journal of Contemporary China, 31(137), 776-792.
[41] Ross L (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process//Advances in experimental social psychology. Academic Press, 10: 173-220.
[42] S. Shen (2007), Redefining Nationalism in Modern China: Sino-American Relations and the Emergence of Chinese Public O- pinion in the 21st Century, Hampshire:
[43] Skitka L J, Mullen E, Griffin T, et al (2002). Dispositions, scripts, or motivated correction? Understanding ideological differences in explanations for social problems. journal of personality and social psychology, 83(2): 470.
[44] Tao Yunfang (2019). Research on political identity generation and public opinion guidance in online communication. Future and Development, 43(06): 14-18+13. [in Chinese]
[45] Tian Jin, Zhu Liping, Zeng Runxi (2016). The evolution of interactive triggering characteristics of online public opinion and the effect of policy issue construction: A case study based on the series of "PX incidents". Journal of Intelligence, 35(02): 133-138. [in Chinese]
[46] Triandis H C (2001). Individualism-collectivism and personality. journal of personality, 69(6): 907-924.
[47] Uleman J S (1989). Thinking Intentionally about Unintended Thoughts. unintended thought, 425.
[48] W. A. Callahan (2004), National Insecurities: Humiliation, Salvation, and Chinese Nationalism, Alternatives Global Local Political, 29(2).
[49] Wamsley G L, Zald M N (1973). The political economy of public organizations [J]. Public Administration Review, 62-73.
[50] Wang Lina, Ma Deyong. Analysis of media credibility in the new media era--an empirical study with Chinese netizens [J]. Journal of Wuhan University (Humanities Edition), 2016, 69(01): 88-99.
[51] Wei Suyan, Sun Feng (2016). Modernizing social policy agenda setting in the context of "multi-stream theory"-Taxi reform as an example. Journal of Public Administration, 13(02): 1-13+152.
[52] Weiss, J. (2020). What is youth political participation? Literature review on youth political participation and political attitudes. Frontiers in Political Science, 2, 1.
[53] Yu Xie, Liu Jianhua (2021). A study on the political identity of contemporary youth in the context of social conflict theory. Journal of Changchun University of Technology (Social Science Edition), 34(03): 29-33+41. [in Chinese]
[54] Zaller J, Feldman S (1992). A simple theory of the survey response: Answering questions versus revealing preferences. American journal of political science, 579-616.
[55] Zang Deshun (2009). From Polanyi to Granovetter: The reversal and transcendence of the "social man" to the "economic man" hypothesis: A discussion on the latest progress of the new economic sociology. Journal of Gansu Administrative College, (06): 11-20+125. [in Chinese]
[56] Zhang Aijun (2021). Attribution of alienation of online political identity and its optimization. Journal of Qingdao University of Science and Technology (Social Science Edition), 37(01): 1-8.
[57] Zhang Aijun, Sun Yuxun (2020). Characteristics, risks and optimization of "post-political psychology" in the social media era. Modern Communication (Journal of Communication University of China), 42(12): 68-73. [in Chinese]
[58] Zhang Aijun, Sun Yuxun (2021). A political psychological analysis of WeChat "likes". Academic, (02): 162-170. [in Chinese]
[59] Zhang Aijun, Zhao Zequan (2021). Online political group communication and political ecology shaping. Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology (Social Science Edition), 23(01): 1-9.
[60] Zhang Xinsheng, Tao Chong (2007). An analysis of the boundaries of the "economic man" hypothesis. Jiangxi Social Science, (09): 161-165. [in Chinese]
[61] Zhang Yong. On the leading role of university party committees in building political identity in universities [J]. School Party Construction and Thought Education, 2021(12): 31-33.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Weng, Y. (2024). Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America. Humanities and Social Sciences, 12(5), 125-141. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Weng, Y. Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 2024, 12(5), 125-141. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Weng Y. Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America. Humanit Soc Sci. 2024;12(5):125-141. doi: 10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14,
      author = {Yaqin Weng},
      title = {Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America
    },
      journal = {Humanities and Social Sciences},
      volume = {12},
      number = {5},
      pages = {125-141},
      doi = {10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.hss.20241205.14},
      abstract = {Background In the context of globalization, as one of the most significant bilateral relations in the world, the dynamics of China-US relations exert a considerable influence on the world. Simultaneously, the accelerated advancement of Internet technology has provided a more expansive array of avenues for acquiring information. Through Social media, news websites, and international forums, Chinese youth groups demonstrate a heightened interest in global affairs. However, the divergence between disparate cultural and political systems has resulted in Chinese youth developing nuanced and multifaceted political dispositions when engaging with the United States and other Western nations. It is therefore imperative to study the political attitudes of Chinese youth, particularly to the United States. Objectives The concept of political attitude expression refers to the external manifestation of an individual's ideological position's usefulness. However, there is a lack of empirical research examining the alignment between an individual's inner motivation and their expression of political attitudes. Based on the aforementioned information, an experimental study was devised and executed with the aim of discerning political attitudes. The study focused on individuals' external expressions of political attitudes and their intrinsic motivations, specifically in relation to the United States. The objective was to examine whether specific factors could potentially influence the external manifestation of individuals' internal ideologies. Main ideas Various factors contribute to the expression of individual ideologies. The ideologies expressed by individuals do not solely reflect their ideological beliefs, but rather arise from a complex interplay of moderating factors influenced by individual rationality regarding economic costs and social circumstances. Conclusions (1) The political attitudes of Chinese youth toward the United States in general demonstrate a left-leaning trend, with low favorability toward the U.S. (2) Economic interests exert an influence on ideological expression, and individuals holding a left-leaning ideological position may elect to accept financial incentives and formally demonstrate high favorability toward the U.S., driven by economic interests. (3) Transformations in the social milieu may precipitate a phenomenon whereby individuals are inclined to "follow the crowd," concealing their authentic political dispositions and eschewing genuine political expression.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Examining the Alignment of Ideological Expression with Behavior or Deception: An Experimental Investigation of Chinese Youth's Political Attitudes Towards America
    
    AU  - Yaqin Weng
    Y1  - 2024/09/11
    PY  - 2024
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14
    T2  - Humanities and Social Sciences
    JF  - Humanities and Social Sciences
    JO  - Humanities and Social Sciences
    SP  - 125
    EP  - 141
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-8184
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.hss.20241205.14
    AB  - Background In the context of globalization, as one of the most significant bilateral relations in the world, the dynamics of China-US relations exert a considerable influence on the world. Simultaneously, the accelerated advancement of Internet technology has provided a more expansive array of avenues for acquiring information. Through Social media, news websites, and international forums, Chinese youth groups demonstrate a heightened interest in global affairs. However, the divergence between disparate cultural and political systems has resulted in Chinese youth developing nuanced and multifaceted political dispositions when engaging with the United States and other Western nations. It is therefore imperative to study the political attitudes of Chinese youth, particularly to the United States. Objectives The concept of political attitude expression refers to the external manifestation of an individual's ideological position's usefulness. However, there is a lack of empirical research examining the alignment between an individual's inner motivation and their expression of political attitudes. Based on the aforementioned information, an experimental study was devised and executed with the aim of discerning political attitudes. The study focused on individuals' external expressions of political attitudes and their intrinsic motivations, specifically in relation to the United States. The objective was to examine whether specific factors could potentially influence the external manifestation of individuals' internal ideologies. Main ideas Various factors contribute to the expression of individual ideologies. The ideologies expressed by individuals do not solely reflect their ideological beliefs, but rather arise from a complex interplay of moderating factors influenced by individual rationality regarding economic costs and social circumstances. Conclusions (1) The political attitudes of Chinese youth toward the United States in general demonstrate a left-leaning trend, with low favorability toward the U.S. (2) Economic interests exert an influence on ideological expression, and individuals holding a left-leaning ideological position may elect to accept financial incentives and formally demonstrate high favorability toward the U.S., driven by economic interests. (3) Transformations in the social milieu may precipitate a phenomenon whereby individuals are inclined to "follow the crowd," concealing their authentic political dispositions and eschewing genuine political expression.
    
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Sections