Internet use, support for democracy and political participation: a comparative study of Chinese mainland and Taiwan

The rapid development of internet infrastructure and the prevalence of democratic attitudes in East Asia have been extensively studied. However, limited research has explored the relationship between internet use, democratic attitudes, and political participation in Chinese mainland and Taiwan. This comparative study aims to examine the associations between internet use, support for democracy, and political participation in the two Chinese societies. Analysis of data from World Values Survey revealed that internet usage has a slight positive correlation with support for democratic values in both societies studied, though this relationship is not statistically significant. Internet use promotes political participation in both Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Further, support for democracy influences political participation only in Taiwan, not in Chinese mainland. These findings highlight the contextual nature of the relationship between democratic values and political participation.