CAPP Events: 2004

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CAPP Hosts Seminar on Growth of the Internet in China

Guo Liang, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and a well-known authority on China's Internet, visited RAND’s Santa Monica office on April 1, 2004 to discuss the implications of the Internet’s rapid growth in China. Guo is a partner in the World Internet Project (WIP), a global ten-year longitudinal study of both users and non-users to gage the impact of the Internet on society, politics, and economics.

Guo cited two widely accepted “facts” about the Internet in China: 1) The Internet is growing fast, and 2) the Internet is heavily controlled by the Chinese government. He noted that these two facts would seem contradictory; if the government’s control is so successful, how did the Internet grow so fast? He explained that people use several metaphors to describe the Internet. For example, that it is a "life saver" - because information about new diseases can be disseminated and exchanged much more rapidly than with other media. Guo also explained that the government is gradually loosening its control over the medium.

According to Guo, key factors in the Internet’s growth include the considerable investments China’s local and central government entities have made in technological modernization and “e-government” projects, as well as the increasing importance of China’s information technology industry as an economic driver. The competitiveness of China’s Internet industry, which has led to lower prices and better service, as well as user needs and demands, are also key factors.

The CASS survey found that although there is a large population (80 million and growing) of Internet users in China, the proportion of use is low (6-7%). An Internet “user” was defined as someone who used the Internet at least once in the past six months. Larger cities were more likely to have a higher user population, but some small cities had a higher useage rate than expected. Most Internet users in China are young, well-educated, unmarried, and earn a relativelty high income. The survey found that 68% were between 17 and 24 years of age, and 57% had attended at least two years of college. The most popular online activities were browsing; reading news; sending e-mail; downloading music; and exploring entertainment information.

Most users surveyed agreed that the Internet provides them with more freedom of expression and fostered a better understanding of politics; more than half the respondents also agreed that the Internet provides a forum to criticize government policies. A majority also believed that the Internet allows them to exert more influence on the government’s actions and policies. Guo cited a number of examples in which an online movement caused the government to change its actions in some way.

Guo stated that there are challenges to the continued growth of the Internet in the future, including an overabundance of regulations and the tendency of the media to focus on negative stories about the medium and its users.

The CASS reports can be downloaded from the Markle Foundation’s web site.