How Does Propaganda Framing Shape Behavioural Intentions Towards International Journalists? Evidence from China

How effective is authoritarian propaganda in shaping citizen behaviour in restricted information environments? Experimental research has shown that such propaganda, and especially the use of tactical framing, can engender pro-regime orientations by manipulating anti-foreign sentiment and lowering evaluations of rival political systems. In this study, I examine whether and how propaganda framing affects behavioural intentions towards international journalists in China. Using a preregistered online survey experiment (n = 2,655) in China and LLM classification of open responses in the survey questionnaire, I find that exposure to negatively framed propaganda about international media significantly increases respondents’ unwillingness to engage with, and their reported likelihood of informing on, international journalists. These effects are substantively large and asymmetric – negative framing mobilizes regime-supportive behaviour, whereas positive framing produces little change. The findings underscore how propaganda can activate citizen participation in authoritarian control and shape the risks facing global media in restrictive information environments.