The withstanding difference: Social effects of modernization and globalization in China and Taiwan

Literature has shown that economic development increases liberal democratic and emancipative values at the societal level. Intercultural interaction and global media exposure have been linked with increased cosmopolitan values, and internet usage with distrust towards authoritarian regimes. This study investigated how modernization and globalization affect social values and political legitimacy perceptions in China. The Patriotic Education Campaign and internet control mechanisms of the government were conceptualized as countermeasures against unwanted social effects. To identify the unique effect of China's sociopolitical context, the difference-in-differences approach was applied, taking Taiwan as a reference. The results implied that even at fixed levels of controls, a slower rate of intergenerational social change is expected in China compared to Taiwan. In later analyses, national identification was found positively related with legitimacy perceptions independently from controls. The findings were interpreted as signifying the effectiveness of countermeasures in slowing down social change and maintaining legitimacy.