Serve the People: Public Service Information and Communication Strategies of Local Governments in China

Original

Serve the People: Public Service Information and Communication Strategies of Local Governments in China

Jianjun Yu, Shuyuan Shen

Abstract

While ideological propaganda remains central to Chinese political communication, public service information is a vital yet underexamined component. We argue that public service information enhances service visibility, strengthens government credibility, and fosters affective proximity between local authorities and citizens, boosting government satisfaction and conferring greater legitimacy. Its practical utility also attracts a broader audience and increases engagement with government accounts. Combining a survey experiment and computational analysis of over one million articles from local governments’ WeChat accounts, we find that public service information increases citizens’ support for local governments and draws readers to both government accounts and ideological propaganda. These findings underscore the significance of public service information in legitimation and audience acquisition, warranting greater scholarly attention to public service information in China.