Inequality and Political Trust in Contemporary China

Abstract

Inequality has been a longstanding issue in China. Unresolved debates persist as to whether it poses a substantial threat to the country’s political stability through the undermining of political trust. This thesis proposes that the literature is inconclusive because previous research has relied on oversimplified, unidimensional approaches to study inequality and political trust. Therefore, this thesis advances the debate through employing a conceptually variegated typology of both inequality and political trust. The thesis examines multiple facets of inequality—outcome, opportunity, and procedure—as perceived by the people, as well as their distinct effects on two dimensions of political trust—performance satisfaction and institutional confidence, in the context of contemporary China. Drawing on data from the Chinese General Social Survey 2015 and the Asian Barometer Survey Waves 4 and 5, this research finds that all forms of perceived inequality negatively correlate with political trust, with procedural inequality having the most significant effect. This underscores the importance of addressing inequality, particularly that in procedure, to maintain political stability. The paper also demonstrates a comprehensive framework that illustrates the complex relationship between the three facets of perceived inequality and two dimensions of political trust. As such, the multi-faceted analytical framework used in this study offers new insights, both theoretically and practically, into the complex dynamics between inequality and political trust