How Citizen Reporting Makes Censorship Popular in China

📌 What This Study Challenges

This study challenges the conventional view that censorship in authoritarian regimes is solely a top-down state imposition. It argues that ordinary citizens frequently participate in censorship by reporting online content, and that such participation helps explain high levels of public support for censorship seen in existing surveys.

📊 How Online Reporting Was Measured

• An original public-opinion survey conducted in China asked respondents about past reporting behavior and attitudes toward the censorship apparatus.
• Over half of respondents self-report having previously flagged online content for removal.
• Participation in reporting is positively correlated with support for state censorship in the survey data.

🧪 How Causality Was Tested

• A pre-registered experiment used custom-engineered, simulated social media pages to manipulate opportunities and encouragement to report posts.
• The experimental design directly varied reporting behavior and then measured subsequent support for the censorship apparatus.

📈 Key Findings

• Participation in citizen-led reporting is prevalent: more than 50% of respondents report prior engagement in flagging content.
• Survey evidence shows a positive correlation between having reported content and endorsing the censorship apparatus.
• Experimental evidence demonstrates a causal effect: respondents encouraged to report simulated posts display significantly higher support for the censorship apparatus.

💡 Why It Matters

These results illuminate a dual source of authoritarian control: state institutions and ordinary citizens who help enforce norms and rules online. Citizen participation in reporting helps explain why repressive tools such as censorship can enjoy apparent popular support, reframing how policymakers and scholars interpret public opinion under authoritarianism.