Unraveling global discontents in the Chinese society: The role of media and individuals' negative perceptions about globalization

Wan-Ying Lin Like many other major transformative processes, globalization produces winners and losers. While large-scale surveys and cases studies have revealed different levels of resistance to globalization in many countries all over the world, little is known about how this movement is received or opposed in the Chinese society. This study intends to unravel global discontents in the context of China and Hong Kong, in attempts to profile those who hold negative perceptions about globalization in different Chinese societies. We draw upon media system dependency theory to explore the role of media in shaping individuals' views about globalization. Based on our survey, it is found that 40% of the respondents in mainland China hold negative perceptions about globalization, while data from Hong Kong are being collected. Meanwhile, male, younger, and less-educated people are more likely to hold negative views about globalization. With the media come into play, we find that the more individuals rely on media to get news, the less likely they will view globalization negatively. On the other hand, if individuals rely on media more for relaxation purposes, the more likely they will hold negative perceptions. Given the different political culture in China and Hong Kong, individuals' media connections and perceptions about globalization will be compared and contrasted.