Chinese nationalism has been increasingly evident and influential in China’s foreign policymaking. Based on a nationwide survey conducted in June–July 2024, this article revisits the fundamental but important question, namely, how strong Chinese nationalism is. Survey results show that respondents are generally proud of being Chinese, but only moderately believe that China is superior to other countries and that China should defend its national interests, even though doing so may hurt other countries’ interests or violate international norms.
Heterogeneous effects were observed across demographic groups. Moreover, our analysis reveals a notable verbal–action gap: many respondents who score high on assertive nationalism are unwilling to bear personal economic costs, such as higher taxes, to support increased military spending. This article also discusses the implications of these findings.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China The authors declare no competing interests. This study involved human participants and was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (Approval ID: EF20260321001). The research was conducted in accordance with relevant ethical guidelines and regulations for research involving human participants.
Informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to their participation in the survey. Before completing the questionnaire, participants were informed about the purpose of the study, the approximate time required to complete the survey, and that their responses would be used exclusively for academic research. Participants provided consent by voluntarily proceeding with the questionnaire.
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