Totalitarian influence and war support in China: Shaping public opinion on Ukraine and Taiwan

This article examines war frames constructed by the Chinese government and how they have shaped the ideology of the Chinese public over the past decades. It examines war frames in contemporary China in a historical perspective and demonstrates how they are disseminated through the education system, state-controlled mass media, and the entertainment industry, whereas alternative views are prevented through censorship. Consequently, Chinese citizens have developed specific cognitive frameworks influenced by the Party-State’s ideology, shaping the way they interpret both domestic and international issues. Based on an online survey concerning Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine and a potential armed conflict between China and Taiwan, our study identifies four groups, which differ in their support for a military intervention against Taiwan: Hard-Line Nationalists, Moderate Realists, Selective Nationalists, and Selective Interventionists. We explain how these attitudes are impacted by factors such as access to information, education, and gender. The study makes an important contribution to the understanding of the relationship between state-led constructions of nationalism, war, and popular attitudes in an authoritarian regime.