'I'm too anxious to sleep at night': Study finds 'volunteers' in China struggled with stress and anxiety as they worked to control pandemic, implement CCP policies

Enforcing the Chinese Communist Party’s zero-COVID policies while trying to protect the CCP’s image has caused many volunteers to suffer from stress and anxiety.

A 2022 study published in the Journal of Chinese Political Science led by Dr. Catherine Owen from the University of Exeter, and Dr. Xuan Qin from Fudan University, highlights the impact of China’s strict zero-COVID policies.

"Since Spring 2022, when Chinese citizens have become increasingly dissatisfied with the ongoing commitment to zero-COVID, the high costs of resource mobilization and the hierarchical chain of command have resulted in intensified workloads and intense pressure on local cadres, leading to grassroots fatigue," Owen and Qin stated in their research. “Following the emergence of Omicron and the hike in public dissatisfaction with the ongoing lock-down policies it was the grassroots cadres that filtered out public discontent, protecting the Party’s overall image.”

During the pandemic's peak, government officials were dispatched to assist with grassroots COVID management, alongside their regular party duties, in a "voluntary" capacity, Owen and Qin stated.

These “volunteers” were primarily CCP members of resident committees in Shanghai estates, according to a University of Exeter report. They were responsible for monitoring and tracking sick patients, enforcing quarantines, administering vaccines, and meeting vaccination targets, with little authority to ensure compliance.  

This led to increased tension between higher-level authorities and the party member volunteers leading those grassroots efforts, according to the study. Researchers interviewed 37 people in the summer of 2021 in eight Shanghai estates in three districts including secretaries and directors from resident committees, government officials, representatives from property management companies, as well as social workers, volunteers and residents.

One respondent said she resorted to sales tactics to try to meet CCP COVID management goals.

“I asked everyone I know in the xiaoqu (residential development), my friends, my relatives, even classmates of my daughter, I used all of my personal resources, everything, I exhausted myself,’ she said.

When she was asked about the consequences of not completing her assigned tasks, she replied: “You need to work overtime… there will be a ranking. If you do not complete the tasks, then the leaders will come and watch you.”

Another respondent claimed the “psychological pressure” volunteers were under was “too great.”

“We have indicators for every job, including vaccination, and every residential area has a ranking every day,” said a committee secretary. “I’m too anxious to sleep at night. Because the city has indicators for the district, the district has indicators for the streets, and the streets have indicators for the residential areas, it is very anxiety-inducing.”

This demonstrates that the leeway for street-level bureaucrats, “who play a crucial role in implementing the government’s zero-COVID measures at the local level,” to adapt or customize decisions from above during periods of campaign governance was very limited, according to the study.

The findings underscore the need for comprehensive support systems for these volunteers, including specialist expertise, resources, and guidance on accessing external sources, Owen and Qin stated.

“Initiating relationship education early, preferably in primary schools, could play a role in fostering better communication and understanding among citizens, potentially alleviating some of the pressures faced by these grassroots volunteers,” according to the study.