It is not as much of a risk as some westerners think. Unless you are actually activists planning change, it is unlikely for CCP to disappear everyone that speaks against it; especially on non-Chinese platforms. On Chinese social media, on the other hand, dissents will be de-platformed quite quickly; I think some might receive couple warnings and/or threats before they are in physical danger.
However, it is not uncommon to hear about larger platforms being threatened by CCP with their own safetys or their families.
In the end, for many people, it is a large enough risk with barely any reward. Everyone knows CCP is oppressive: maybe not every western media report about China was fully truthful; but with these many reports, some have to be true. On the other hand, tankies aren't going to change their mind because one anonymous "Chinese" on the internet speaks up against CCP. Speaking up against CCP really will not bring that much change, especially given the potential of putting themselves and their family at risk.
Well, I'm from a neighboring country (Vietnam). We have the CVP. I immigrated here a bit over a decade ago to start a business. I do speak and read Vietnamese, but poorly. It's not 100% on topic, but I can share my experience for what it's worth, in case you don't get tons of replies from our Chinese colleagues.
In practice, most of my interactions with government bodies have been positive. They've helped me figure out the tax system, granted me legal status and various licenses here, some tax cuts, and so on. I got married at a People's Committee (UBNQ), which is sort of our equivalent to a town hall.
At the start, most other non-nationals I knew told me it was impossible to do anything legally (full stop), or without constantly paying bribes. I ignored them, filled out forms and submitted them without 'extra fees', everything worked out just fine. So I mostly ignore "what people say" about bureaucratic processes, and just call my lawyer for advice -- they usually tell a very different story.
It's not a carefree paradise, we're a developing nation and life has it's difficulties. However on a daily basis, my main concerns are traffic, workplace politics, air pollution, and occasionally neighbors singing karaoke. Top things I struggle with on longer timescales are things like home ownership, maintaining my health, and planning for retirement. I live in a slum, but it's safe and people seem "big picture" fairly happy and decent. Except for one mean lady in the market who gossips all day -- there's a good term in Vietnamese for this kind of person that roughly translates to "many stories".
Oh I also have to mention the big red propaganda posters! Most of them say things like "don't do drugs, kids", "don't drink and drive", and "try to eat less sugar / salt". Or "don't spit in public, that's gross". A few pertain to upcoming national holidays or anniversaries of historical events too. They're sort of like the "public service messages" we used to get in Canada, except with nicer artwork. Also if we're being honest, I probably should eat less salt.
So that's a slice of my life. My thoughts on the CVP remain moderately positive, but I'm not particularly political -- this describes most people I know here. I suspect it's a lot more ordinary than what you might think from all the angry politics online. I imagine it's similar with my Chinese colleagues (my main client is a Chinese company), but don't really know since we really only talk about work.