Social psychological explanations of democratic public’s attitudes towards China, a non-democratic superpower: Evidence from South Korea

This study examines public attitudes in a democratic state toward China as a non-democratic superpower within a social psychological framework. Employing 2021 survey data from South Korea, it investigates how ideological orientations—right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and social dominance orientation (SDO)—along with historically rooted national images of China shape attitudes toward China-related issues. The key findings are as follows: (1) Preferences for global leadership are influenced by perceptions of China as a “barbarian” or an “imperial” state, highlighting the role of soft power. (2) South Koreans who perceive China as a barbarian state are more likely to confront rather than avoid Chinese provocations, reflecting the influence of national identity on foreign policy attitudes. (3) A curvilinear relationship emerges between RWA and attitudes toward China, while SDO is consistently associated with less negative perceptions of China. These results suggest that historical narratives and orientations regarding intergroup biases, rather than ideological divides, better explain attitudes toward China.