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How Do Chinese Civic Associations Respond to the Internet? Findings from a Survey

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2007

Guobin Yang
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Abstract

Based on survey data collected from October 2003 to January 2004, this article provides the first systematic empirical analysis of how civic associations in urban China have responded to the internet. It shows, first, that urban grassroots organizations are equipped with a minimal level of internet capacity. Secondly, for these organizations, the internet is most useful for publicity work, information dessemination, and networking with peer and international organizations. Thirdly, social change organizations, younger organizations and organizations in Beijing report more use of the internet than business associations, older organizations and organizations outside Beijing. Finally, organizations with bare-bone internet capacity report more active use of the internet than better-equipped organizations. These findings suggest that the internet has had special appeal to relatively new organizations oriented to social change and that a “web” of civic associations has emerged in China.

Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 189 , March 2007 , pp. 122 - 143
Copyright
© The China Quarterly, 2007

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Footnotes

The author gratefully acknowledges the support of a “Writing and research” grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (Grant No. 02-76177-000-GSS). Jianzhong Dai and his research team inplemented the survey. Cui Yi and Junhui Li helped in many ways. David Blythe and Jinzhao Li provided research assistance. Jinyoung Choi performed the statistical procedures. An earlier draft was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies in Chicago, April 2005, and at a forum in Bard College, November 2005. I thank the audience on both occasions for constructive responses. Special thanks are due to Eleanor Burt, Sun-Ki Chai, Robert Culp, Elisabeth J. Friedman, Ellen Judd, Hagen Koo, Gregory Moynahan, Dorothy Solinger and Patricia Steinhoff for their helpful comments.