This paper asks whether and how state actors in autocracies use messages about problems in established democracies to make democracy itself seem less attractive. Rex Weiye Deng studies a tactic he terms "propaganda of democratic flaws," combining large-scale text analysis of official posts on Chinese social media with two original survey experiments in China to examine whether amplifying foreign democratic problems affects people’s evaluations of democratic systems and of their own regime.
Text analysis of state-affiliated posts, two original survey experiments in China, focus on perceptions of democratic governance
Data and methods
The author analyzes Weibo posts from Chinese state-affiliated media spanning 2013–2024 and reports two original survey experiments carried out in China. The abstract identifies content/text analysis and experimental survey methods as the empirical tools used to assess how messages about democratic problems are framed and received.
Main findings
According to the abstract, the analyses provide consistent support for the argument that strategically amplifying problems in established democracies can make democracy seem less appealing because such messages appear credible and evoke fear. The abstract notes an important qualification: these messages do not necessarily increase evaluations of the domestic (authoritarian) regime.
- The text analysis and experiments align in showing that highlighting democratic flaws can undermine the attractiveness of democracy.
- The effect operates through perceived credibility and fear, not by reliably boosting domestic regime evaluations.
