ABSTRACT
This book attempts to provide a systematic analysis of urban Chinese public opinion toward the world at large and the process of globalization at a specific historical juncture—that is, the time when China is arguably “on the rise” and is increasingly engaging with world affairs. In broad terms, our analysis and the structuring of the chapters were guided by the framework presented in Chapter 1, although the study is not restricted to testing the theory of cosmopolitan communications. Based on the premise that people form images of the world through media representation and communication activities, we examined Chinese people's personal experiences and social connections with the outside world as well as their media consumption behavior. We then examined whether and how personal experiences and media communications relate systematically to people's value orientations, especially their nationalistic sentiments. We then further examined how communications and value orientations relate to people's attitudes toward specific foreign countries, especially the United States; their awareness and conceptions of globalization; and finally their perceptions of the impact of globalization.
