Data of Chinese View on European Union, 2010.

Citizens’ attitudes towards foreign countries are considered an important factor in making foreign policy. This also holds in China, where public opinion is given significant weight in foreign policy-making. On the other hand, the media serves as a gateway for citizens to access the outside world, shaping their attitudes towards foreign countries. The rise of the Internet since the mid-2000s has brought about radical changes in the media landscape. The Internet, characterized by its loose control and the strong patriotic sentiment among netizens, is viewed as a breeding ground for popular nationalism. Scholars and analysts worry that the prevalence of online popular nationalism may lead to xenophobia and hostility towards Western countries portrayed as out-group others in this narrative. This study aims to investigate the impact of popular nationalism narratives flooding the Internet on citizens’ attitudes, and the differential influence of the Internet compared to traditional mass media. Furthermore, this study also examines the dynamics of citizens’ foreign attitudes and the role of media channels in shaping these attitudes. Through a quantitative analysis based on the data collected in 2010 and 2020, the study challenges concerns about xenophobic sentiments resulting from online nationalism, finding them to be unnecessary. Additionally, this study also discovers that, compared to traditional mass media, the influence of the Internet on attitude is more open to change in the international environment.民众对外国的态度，是外交政策制定过程中的核心考量因素。这一逻辑在中国同样成立——中国的外交决策高度重视公众舆论的权重。另一方面，媒体作为民众接触外部世界的核心渠道，形塑着其对外国的态度取向。自2000年代中期以来，互联网的崛起彻底重塑了全球媒体生态。由于其管控相对宽松且网民群体普遍怀有强烈爱国情怀，互联网被视作大众民族主义的滋生温床。有学者与分析人士担忧，线上大众民族主义的盛行可能催生排外情绪，并使得民众对叙事中被建构为"异质他者"的西方国家产生敌意。本研究旨在探究席卷互联网的大众民族主义叙事对民众外交态度的影响，以及相较于传统大众媒体，互联网所发挥的差异化作用。此外，本研究还考察了民众外交态度的动态演变轨迹，以及各类媒体渠道在形塑此类态度过程中所承担的角色。基于2010年与2020年收集的量化调研数据，本研究对"线上民族主义会催生排外情绪"的主流担忧提出了质疑，并证实此类担忧实属多余。此外，本研究还发现，相较于传统大众媒体，互联网对民众态度的影响更易随国际环境的变化而发生调整。