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International Journal of Public Opinion Research Advance Access published online on November 3, 2009
International Journal of Public Opinion Research, doi:10.1093/ijpor/edp046
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The World Association for Public Opinion Research. All rights reserved.

Online Network Size, Efficacy, and Opinion Expression: Assessing the Impacts of Internet Use in China

Fei Shen, Ning Wang, Zhongshi Guo and Liang Guo

Address for correspondence to Fei Shen, Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. E-mail: feishen{at}cityu.edu.hk

The severe internet censorship implemented in China naturally raises substantial doubt about the potential democratic functions of the internet. This study presents some initial empirical evidence for internet use's impact on online opinion expression in Mainland China by analyzing three survey datasets collected by the World Internet Project in 2003, 2005, and 2007. Results reveal a positive relationship between internet use and online expression. The positive association is partially mediated by online network size, but not necessarily by internet efficacy. Although government censorship has in a measure successfully stifled people's; willingness to speak out, it is argued that the networking function of the internet could still bring incremental changes to the Chinese society through constructing loosely structured networks.


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