In response to increasing socio-economic inequalities, the Chinese state has promoted preferred qualities of a model citizen in the domain of philanthropy and volunteerism. This study examines why some individuals in China choose to be ‘bad citizens’ and not donate or volunteer. Leveraging data from three waves of the Civic Participation in China Surveys (CPCS) in 2018, 2020 and 2022, the study finds that bad citizens’ behaviour is influenced by those in their immediate social circle, their general view about the act of donating and volunteering, and their level of support for the government. These findings have several important implications. Foremost, understanding the profile of the bad citizen allows for better targeted policies to incentivize charitable giving and volunteering. Additionally, the existence of bad citizens conceptually suggests the presence of a ‘skeptical citizen’ who does not fully subscribe to the state’s image of the model citizen.