A survey experiment conducted in 11 Indo-Pacific countries in 2022 sheds light on the impact of Chinese public opinion on regional crises. The study found that Chinese public opinion influenced the assessments of foreign citizens regarding Beijing's resolve in a crisis scenario. Many respondents updated their views after Chinese public opinion became a salient factor. However, the effects varied across countries and dimensions of resolve [90b1b7d8].
Chinese public opinion tended to amplify Beijing's threat of economic punishment, but it was more likely to provoke citizens on the other side rather than deter them. The study also revealed that different modes of expression of Chinese public opinion, such as online nationalist mobilizations and street protests, produced different effects. The results suggest that Beijing has limited control over how foreign observers interpret the significance of its domestic public opinion in crisis situations [90b1b7d8].
The study proposes that policymakers engage in dialogue on the role of Chinese public opinion, address public opinion in crisis control mechanisms, and pay attention to the growing trend of interactions between publics. It highlights the need to understand and navigate the influence of Chinese public opinion on regional crises in the Indo-Pacific [90b1b7d8].