According to the study in the paper highlighted this week those in China who profess some sort of religious belief are also more likely to be skeptical of the central administration.
Geng Niu and Guochang Zhao of the South Western University of Finance and Economics together with Bosen Ding of Peking University drilled a 2010 survey of 9, 893 individuals to arrive at their findings; which are at odds of some studies of Western populations.
In the West, often, research reveal people with religious conviction of some sort tend to be more trusting in general and that trust extends to their governments; so why should China be different?
The researchers suggest several reasons, the chief among them being the central government in China is officially an atheistic regime. True or not the findings suggest the CCP faces a growing problem as although only a minority in China admit a religious affiliation the number is growing, and rapidly.
The historical Western experience was that Churches and States had to find accommodation if societies were to progress. It’s to be hoped China can reference the lesson.
You can read the paper in full via this link Trust in Government and Religion.
Best all,
N