How the Pro-Beijing Media Influences Voters: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract

Authoritarian regimes frequently leverage foreign media to disseminate their preferred messages within democratic societies, but what impact do these co-opted outlets have on voters? This study presents findings from a randomized experiment conducted during Taiwan's 2020 general election, aimed at assessing the influence of The China Times, a China-backed media conglomerate, on voter behavior and attitudes. Participants were incentivized to engage in sustained consumption of real-time political news from this outlet in the weeks leading up to the election. Using a panel survey linked with web-tracking data, the results show that exposure to The China Times nudges average voters toward supporting China's preferred candidate and adopting more favorable views of China, while having minimal impact on China-skeptical voters. Additional analysis confirms that the effect is driven by the news content itself. As Taiwan is not the only case where China seeks to extend its influence in this manner, these results offer broader insights into the effectiveness of China's media operations in other democracies.

Keywords: Media influence operation, China, Taiwan, field experiment, political communication