How do China and the United States promote soft power abroad? Daniel Mattingly '04, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University, will give a talk at Yale Center Beijing on June 5, sharing comprehensive data collected by him and fellow researchers on the external messaging of the Chinese and American external state media.

Based on the study, they find that Chinese state media promote China's economic success and competent governance, while American state media promote its political system. After conducting a randomized experiment in 19 countries across 6 continents exposing global citizens to real messages from the Chinese and American governments, they found that exposure to a representative set of state messages strengthens perceptions that the Chinese system delivers growth, stability, and competent leadership. In head-to-head matchups, messages from the U.S. government are less persuasive. The findings highlight the striking success of China's soft power promotion efforts, especially in the global south.