What kind of role can the middle class play in potential democratization in such an undemocratic, late developing country as China? To answer this profound political as well as theoretical question, Jie Chen explores attitudinal and behavioral orientation of China's new middle class to democracy, based on a probability-sample survey and in-depth interviews of residents in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi'an.

• Contents


• List of Tables and Figures iv


• Preface vii


• List of Abbreviations xii


• Chapter 1: Introduction: The Contingent Middle Class 1


• Chapter 2: China's Middle Class: Definition and Evolution 36


• Chapter 3: How Does the Middle Class View Democracy and the Government? 93


• Chapter 4: Why Does or Does Not the Middle Class Support Democracy? 130


• Chapter 5: The Impact of Democratic Support on the Middle Class's Political Behavior 167


• Chapter 6: Conclusion: Contingent Democratic Supporters and Prospects for Democracy 209


• Appendix: List of In-Depth Interviews Conducted in Beijing, Chengdu, and Xi'an in 2008 240


• References 252


• Index 277

Jie Chen is William Borah Distinguished Professor of Political Science, serves as Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at University of Idaho. He also holds the titles of the Changjiang Scholar Chair Professorship and Zhiyuan Chair Professorship bestowed, respectively, by the Ministry of Education, PRC, and by Shanghai Jiaotong University, China. He has authored and co-authored six books, including Popular Political Support in Urban China (Stanford University Press, 2004), and Allies of the State: China's Private Entrepreneurs and Democratic Change (with Bruce Dickson; Harvard University Press, 2010), and many articles, which appeared in scholarly journals, such as Journal of Politics, Comparative Political Studies, Public Opinion Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Political Research Quarterly, the China Quarterly, Asian Survey, Modern China, and Journal of Contemporary China.