Measuring Hidden Opinions in Iran and China

Fuente: Zenodo
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Rosehill, Daniel, Gemini 3.1 (Flash), Chatterbox TTS
Format: Recurso digital
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Zenodo 2026
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866901593537904640
author Rosehill, Daniel
Gemini 3.1 (Flash)
Chatterbox TTS
author_facet Rosehill, Daniel
Gemini 3.1 (Flash)
Chatterbox TTS
contents <p><strong>Episode summary:</strong> How do you measure public sentiment when the state controls the information environment and people fear honest answers? This episode explores the surprisingly robust data coming out of Iran through GAMAAN's digital snowball sampling, which found only 15% of Iranians support the Islamic Republic as a system of government. Then we turn to China, where the measurement problem is even harder. Through academic surveys, the Asian Barometer, World Values Survey, and clever list experiments that provide plausible deniability to respondents, researchers have pieced together a picture of broad but shallow and conditional support for the regime — with fascinating cleavages by age, geography, and education that defy both Western narratives of imminent collapse and Party claims of universal loyalty.</p> <h3>Show Notes</h3> <p>Measuring public opinion in authoritarian states is one of the hardest problems in political science. This episode examines two case studies — Iran and China — where researchers have developed creative methods to gauge real sentiment despite state control of the information environment.</p> <p>In Iran, the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) has used digital snowball sampling — viral survey distribution through social media — to reach deep into the population. Their 2022 survey found only about 15% of Iranians identifying as Shia Muslims who support the political establishment, with support for the Islamic Republic as a system of government around 20% and support for the Revolutionary Guard in single digits. Methodological cross-referencing against pre-crackdown face-to-face surveys and diaspora polling suggests the data is reliable.</p> <p>For China, no gold-standard representative polling exists, but researchers have four main windows: academic collaborations like the China Survey, the Asian Barometer Survey, the World Values Survey, and list experiments that provide plausible deniability. The evidence suggests broad but shallow and conditional support — high performance satisfaction on economic growth and stability, but complex attitudes on democratic values. Younger Chinese under 35 are notably more nationalist than their parents' generation, while the urban-rural split runs counter to expectations: urban residents benefit most from regime policies while rural residents maintain high trust in the central government while blaming local officials for problems.</p> <p>Listen online: <a href="https://myweirdprompts.com/episode/measuring-hidden-opinions-iran-china">https://myweirdprompts.com/episode/measuring-hidden-opinions-iran-china</a></p>
format Recurso digital
id zenodo_https___doi_org_10_5281_zenodo_20243361
institution Zenodo
language eng
publishDate 2026
publisher Zenodo
record_format zenodo
spellingShingle Measuring Hidden Opinions in Iran and China
Rosehill, Daniel
Gemini 3.1 (Flash)
Chatterbox TTS
podcast
ai-generated
my weird prompts
iran
list-experiments
political-measurement
<p><strong>Episode summary:</strong> How do you measure public sentiment when the state controls the information environment and people fear honest answers? This episode explores the surprisingly robust data coming out of Iran through GAMAAN's digital snowball sampling, which found only 15% of Iranians support the Islamic Republic as a system of government. Then we turn to China, where the measurement problem is even harder. Through academic surveys, the Asian Barometer, World Values Survey, and clever list experiments that provide plausible deniability to respondents, researchers have pieced together a picture of broad but shallow and conditional support for the regime — with fascinating cleavages by age, geography, and education that defy both Western narratives of imminent collapse and Party claims of universal loyalty.</p> <h3>Show Notes</h3> <p>Measuring public opinion in authoritarian states is one of the hardest problems in political science. This episode examines two case studies — Iran and China — where researchers have developed creative methods to gauge real sentiment despite state control of the information environment.</p> <p>In Iran, the Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran (GAMAAN) has used digital snowball sampling — viral survey distribution through social media — to reach deep into the population. Their 2022 survey found only about 15% of Iranians identifying as Shia Muslims who support the political establishment, with support for the Islamic Republic as a system of government around 20% and support for the Revolutionary Guard in single digits. Methodological cross-referencing against pre-crackdown face-to-face surveys and diaspora polling suggests the data is reliable.</p> <p>For China, no gold-standard representative polling exists, but researchers have four main windows: academic collaborations like the China Survey, the Asian Barometer Survey, the World Values Survey, and list experiments that provide plausible deniability. The evidence suggests broad but shallow and conditional support — high performance satisfaction on economic growth and stability, but complex attitudes on democratic values. Younger Chinese under 35 are notably more nationalist than their parents' generation, while the urban-rural split runs counter to expectations: urban residents benefit most from regime policies while rural residents maintain high trust in the central government while blaming local officials for problems.</p> <p>Listen online: <a href="https://myweirdprompts.com/episode/measuring-hidden-opinions-iran-china">https://myweirdprompts.com/episode/measuring-hidden-opinions-iran-china</a></p>
title Measuring Hidden Opinions in Iran and China
topic podcast
ai-generated
my weird prompts
iran
list-experiments
political-measurement
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20243361