Citation

Jiang S, Wu Y. Soc. Sci. Res. 2015; 49: 42-52.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2014.07.009

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

China's legal reforms have promoted the use of law and legal system to solve disputes. Based on data from a nationwide sample, this study examined among people who have recently encountered grievance/dispute, what is the relationship between their intention to use the court and their actual use of the court to solve the grievance/dispute, and what are the correlates that affect their intentions and actions of using legal versus other modes of remedies. The results highlight the primacy of administrative petitioning and non-governmental remedies in handing disputes. There is only a low degree of conjunction between people's reported willingness to use the law and their actual use of the law in addressing grievance/dispute. Education and urbanization play a significant role in legal mobilization. Further, type of grievance/dispute is among the most significant predictors for both intended and actual appeals to the court. Implications for future research are provided.