The Dynamics of Social Identities in Postcolonial Hong Kong

Abstract

Aims and Purpose: This thesis aims to improve the understanding of social identity evolution in Hong Kong, narrow the scope of plausible predictors of the dynamics of social identities, and be guided by the application of social identity, self-categorisation, and integrated threat theories to interpreting social identification in Hong Kong. There exists a large body of literature on intergroup conflicts arising from the tensions between national identity and ethnic or regional identity due to their undesirable social and political consequences. Hong Kong is potentially a valuable addition to this literature because it enjoys a fusion of Western and Eastern culture in light of its historical background as a British colony and the return of sovereignty to China in 1997. Over the past decade, the increasing awareness of localism in Hong Kong was manifested by a series of significant and unprecedented protests, specifically the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement (Anti-ELAB). Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (HKPORI) conducted repeated cross-sectional surveys on Hong Kong residents' identification from 1997 to 2022. Previous researchers have examined the HKPORI data but they analysed only part of the datasets rather than the entire series. The stability of the relationships between identity strengths and their associated factors in the postcolonial era and how these might have changed if they were not stable remained unexplored.

Method: This thesis is the first to use meta-analytical techniques to examine the dynamics of Hong Kong people's social identities between 1997 and 2022. In addition, mixed linear regressions and mixed logistic regressions were employed to test hypotheses while allowing for relationships between variables to change over time.

Findings: The four empirical chapters in this thesis analysed trends and interrelations among six social identities (i.e., Hongkonger, Chinese, Citizen of People's Republic of China, Member of the Chinese Race, Asian, and Global Citizen) and four identity categories (i.e., Hong Kong Citizen, Chinese Citizen, Hong Kong Chinese Citizen, and Chinese Hong Kong Citizen). In particular, the compatibility between Hongkonger and Chinese identities as well as their predictors were investigated. The first empirical chapter provided an overview of the datasets and established the measurement properties of the variables by exploring trends and associations among key variables. The second empirical chapter extended Steinhardt et al. (2018)'s investigation of predictors of strength of identification as Chinese and Hongkonger. Over time, trust in the HKSAR government became a stronger predictor of Chinese identity strength but a weaker predictor of Hongkonger identity strength. It was found that the compatibility between Chinese and Hongkonger identities dropped drastically during the Anti-ELAB period. Anti-ELAB increased Hongkonger identity strength among those who identified as Hong Kong Citizen, Hong Kong Chinese Citizen, and Chinese Hong Kong Citizen, but reduced it among Chinese Citizen identifiers. The third empirical chapter extended Wong et al. (2021)'s examination of cohort effects on identities. While replicating their cohort effects by using their variable that forced respondents to choose between Hongkonger and Chinese identities, this study used separate identity strength measures and showed that the cohort effects occurred only for Chinese identity. The final empirical chapter tested a set of hypotheses developed from social identity theory, self-categorisation theory, and integrated threat theory. Confidence in "One Country, Two Systems", Hong Kong's future, and China's future positively predicted compatibility between Hongkonger and Chinese identities. Show more