Contacting as a Meaningful Channel of Political Involvement: Explaining Citizen Contacting in China

This study attempts to describe and explain the phenomenon of citizen contacting within the Chinese context. The study first presents a social profile of contactors and then examined the purported role of seven key variables which were identified in the literature in affecting the likelihood of citizen contacting. Consistent with the literature, perceived need for government assistance is proved to be the primary driving force of citizen contacting. Socioeconomic status (SES) model is found to be inconsistent and rather weak in explaining citizen contacting. Other influential factors include awareness of government services, political efficacy, and the amount of social ties. These factors are inconsistently present in different explanatory models. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.