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Abstract
This study delved into the influential role of state media in shaping public opinion and cultivating policy support. Focusing on the Chinese government's insistence on the zero-COVID policy, we conducted a nationwide survey (N = 665) to examine the cultivation effect of state media on Chinese people's support for the zero-COVID policy. We found that the more state media people were exposed to on social media, the more they supported the zero-COVID policy. State media exposure on social media was positively associated with trust in the government and fear of the virus among the audience, both of which mediated the effect of state media exposure on zero-COVID policy support. By applying the cultivation theory, this study contributed to our understanding of public opinion and information manipulation under authoritarian contexts in the digital age.