Democratization and the Middle Class in China

Abstract

Do the middle classes in authoritarian, late-developing countries support democratization? Among scholars, there seems no clear consensus on this question. To fill this gap, this article examines the case of the middle class in China, based on data collected from a probability-sample survey. The findings from this study indicate (1) the middle class does not necessarily support democratization in authoritarian developing countries, (2) there is a negative correlation between the middle class’s dependence on the state and its support for democracy, and (3) the middle class’s perceived social and economic well-being is also negatively associated with its democratic support.