Post‐Materialism Under Threat: Insecurity and Middle‐Class Value Shifts in East Asia

Does China challenge postmaterialist theory? Answering this question is crucial as the middle‐class in China has posed a significant challenge to postmaterialist theory, as they do not shift to postmaterialist values consistent with Inglehart's expectations. These challenges arise from both macro and individual‐level findings that call into question Inglehart's theory. At the macro level, scholars have highlighted the period effects in weakening the economic basis for postmaterialist value shifts. Regarding the individual level, scholars also note that in China, the labor class exhibits greater self‐expression in advocating for their rights than the middle class, which also contradicts postmaterialist theory. In response to the critique, Inglehart emphasizes that the autonomy growth of the middle‐class postmaterialist shift, accompanied by economic development, requires a longer time frame for observation. In contrast to the defenders of postmaterialist theory, we argue that two factors of insecurity may continue to obstruct the expected value shift. First, macro‐level disruptions such as collective insecurity may bring about a resurgence of materialist values. Second, specific political mechanisms, such as middle‐class economic dependence on the state and authoritarian patriotic education, can hinder the emergence of postmaterialist attitudes. Our critique highlights these mechanisms as key directions for future research.