Nationalism and political system justification in China: differential effects of traditional and new media

Abstract

Drawing on system justification theory, this study examines the influence of political information obtained in different types of media on popular support for the Chinese political system through the mediation of nationalism. The analyses of the survey data demonstrated that obtaining political information from state-controlled media increased support for the political system through nationalist propaganda. The use of social media to obtain political information demonstrated contrasting effects. The exposure to political information through Weibo was negatively associated with political system support because of its negative effect on nationalism, whereas the use of WeChat to obtain political information had a positive effect on nationalism, thus increasing support for the political system.