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Vishnevskaya Dissertation2.28 MB
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Dissertation
An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Chinese Image Repair Strategies and Their Moderators in the Context of the Global Pandemic
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005312
Abstract
The global outbreak of COVID-19 originated in China and led to a significant deterioration of China's image worldwide. In the U.S., the global pandemic also became politicized, with Republicans displaying more unfavorable perceptions of China than Democrats. This dissertation aims to fill the gap in the academic literature by analyzing the image repair strategies utilized by China, evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies, and exploring the role of message source credibility and political ideology as potential moderators.
By utilizing an exploratory sequential mixed-method approach, this research combines a content analysis of the Chinese Embassy tweets from December 2019 to May 2020 and a survey experiment to gauge the impact of the identified strategies on American public opinion towards
China. The findings suggest that among the most frequently used image repair strategies – attack accuser, corrective action, bolstering, and minimization - all but one were found effective. The effects of corrective action, bolstering, and minimization were moderated by political ideology.
The findings from this study shed light on the effectiveness of image repair strategies utilized by a global actor – China, thus contributing to the field of communication by enhancing our understanding of how countries can repair their damaged reputation in the face of global crises. This dissertation explores the role of message source credibility and political ideology as potential moderators of the effects of image repair strategies. It introduces the use of a mixed method approach to image repair scholarship. Finally, this research provides insights into the effectiveness of China's image repair strategies on the perceptions and attitudes towards China among the American audience, thus contributing to the growing body of research on the audience-oriented analysis of image repair strategies. The limitations of this study are also discussed.
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Details
- Title
- An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Method Evaluation of the Chinese Image Repair Strategies and Their Moderators in the Context of the Global Pandemic
- Creators
- Anastasia Vishnevskaya
- Contributors
- Alexis Tan (Advisor)Porismita Borah (Advisor)Martha Cottam (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 128
- Identifiers
- 99901031340701842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation