Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Manship School of Mass Communication
Document Type
Dissertation
Abstract
This dissertation examines the interplay among political identity, trust in government and media, and patterns of media consumption in Vietnam, a single‐party socialist republic in Southeast Asia. Moving beyond the liberal democratic focus of existing scholarship, the dissertation challenges the assumption of political homogeneity in authoritarian settings and empirically explores the extent and character of polarization.
The dissertation takes a quantitative approach and employs multiple statistical techniques, including latent profile analysis (LPA) and structural equation modeling (SEM). It uncovers multiple latent political profiles within Vietnamese society, defined by varying degrees of trust in the government and ideological orientation. Further analysis reveals that traditional, anti‐market social/economic preferences and heightened nationalist sentiments significantly predict greater trust in the Vietnamese government. Paradoxically, greater reliance on government‐controlled media corresponds with lower overall media trust. Although participants generally express higher confidence in state‐run outlets compared to alternative sources, an experimental manipulation exposing them to elite disagreement over a specific policy did not meaningfully shift public opinion or media trust. Such a result suggests that elite polarization exerts a muted influence within Vietnam’s political landscape.
Theoretically, the dissertation advances our understanding of authoritarian resilience by demonstrating the coexistence of diverse political identities and attitudes in the absence of formal party competition. It extends prevailing theories of political behavior and media trust into a non‐democratic context to highlight the complex dynamics of identity formation and information processing under a government‐controlled media environment. These findings underscore the inadequacy of monolithic portrayals of authoritarian societies and illuminate potential pathways for political evolution within such regimes. Practically, it provides valuable insights to develop strategies to enhance public communication efficacy, foster informed civic engagement, and mitigate skepticism toward policy initiatives in environments where media credibility and elite signaling play pivotal roles in shaping public attitudes. The dissertation’s imitations, as well as suggestions for future research related to politics, political communication, polarization, trust, and the media in Vietnam, were also discussed.
Date
5-10-2025
Recommended Citation
Tran, Huu Dat, "Red Cows, Yellow Dogs: Political Identity, Political Polarization, and Media Skepticism in a Single-Party Socialist Republic" (2025). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 6790.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/6790
Committee Chair
Henderson, Michael B.