Seeing anxiety philosophically

This is an extract of the Survey Report on the Social Mentality of Young Chinese Netizens (2022) conducted by Fudan Development Institute's Center for Communication and State Governance Research, the Global Communication All Media Research Institute of Fudan University, Bilibili Public Policy Research Institute and the Shanghai Information Security and Social Management Innovation Laboratory. The report surveyed a total of 5,492 young netizens across China in 2021 and 2022.

New ways to cope

Data from Sina Weibo shows that study and work are the biggest triggers of anxiety for young netizens today, followed by health and appearance. Among those surveyed, 77 percent of them clearly stated that they felt anxious about study or work, significantly higher than those reporting suffering from anxiety related to health and appearance, 30 percent and 18 percent, respectively.

When it comes to gender differences, young women expressed more anxiety than their male counterparts.

In terms of education level, young netizens with a master's degree or above were more anxious than those with a bachelor, junior college, high school or middle school degree, indicating that "the more academically successful someone is, the more anxiety he or she suffers".

Some young netizens have developed a unique way to cope with anxiety — online "praying", which is part of a popular phenomenon known as the new metaphysics. For example, they would repost auspicious images and emojis online while writing down their wishes about wealth, education, relationships and health, among others. They believe in personality theories and matchmaking tests. They would look to horoscopes to find out their career prospects or overall fortune. They pay attention to when Mercury is in retrograde — a time they believe brings back luck. They also follow bloggers who share tips and "prophecies" and make divination rituals such as drawing and reading Tarot cards to feel that they have more control over the things they're anxious about.

According to Sina Weibo, young netizens' favorable attitudes toward this new metaphysics grew slightly between 2021 and 2022.Among the 5,492 young people surveyed, 749 showed a positive attitude toward it in 2022, accounting for 13 percent, 1 percentage point higher than 2021's 12 percent. A logistic regression analysis of dichotomous variables of young netizens' attitudes toward new metaphysics revealed that youth in China's eastern areas are the least likely to rely on new metaphysics while those in central provinces are the most likely to do so. It also found that women were more likely to believe in new metaphysics, and that people born after 2000 are more likely to rely on new metaphysics to help relieve anxiety compared to those born in the 1990s.

A network analysis of millions of related video comments on Bilibili showed that online comment sections have become an important outlet for today's youth to relieve anxiety. On anonymous social platforms, young internet users can seek empathy and reassurance through communication. Some also share their experiences or offer support and comfort to anxious strangers.

Working on it

In 2022, young netizens generally held a positive attitude toward working hard. The number of people who supported "lying flat" — a state where people just settle for what they have now and don't wish to work harder for more — was lower than that of those who didn't. Sina Weibo data showed that, among the survey respondents who clearly stated their attitudes, 56 percent of them explicitly opposed the life choice of lying flat, indicating that lying flat advocates are still a minority.

The network analysis of millions of related video comments on Bilibili shows that young netizens are reflecting on education and that they have a social mentality of "working hard while being anxious". The motto of "education can change one's fate" remains popular in secondary education, but some students may experience a sense of loss and disorientation after finally making it through the gruelling college entrance examination, or gaokao, to enter university. However, many young netizens still believe in hard work and are willing to work hard so that they can hold their future in their own hands. They oppose the misuse of the term "rat race" and encourage each other by writing positive comments online.