Who Has the More Favorable Impression of Christianity in Contemporary China?

Abstract

In the past, Christianity has been characterized in China as a “foreign religion” related to imperialism; today, Christianity is developing rapidly. What is the general public’s attitude to Christianity now? Based on data of the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this paper analyzes differences between groups that have favorable impressions of Christianity and seeks to understand them. The results show that: in contemporary Chinese society, a favorable attitude towards Christianity is still in the minority, much lower than Buddhism, but higher than Taoism and Islam; in terms of who showed favorable attitudes to which religions, Christian believers are more likely to have favorable impressions of Christianity than other believers, women more likely than men, the rural population more likely than the urban population, those born since 1980 more likely than their predecessors, and there is no significant difference among those from different educational backgrounds and classes.