Differential emphases on modernity and Confucian values in social categorization: The case of Hong Kong adolescents in political transition

This study investigated if modernity and Confucian values were ingroup's po sitively valued distinctiveness for Hong Kong adolescents with different so cial identities. Participants (236 Hong Kong adolescents) filled out a ques tionnaire which tapped social identity and intergroup perception. They also participated in a card-sorting activity in which they decided if any of 20 attributes (e.g., advanced, respecting collective will) could be used to c haracterize a specific ethnic-social group (e.g., mainland Chinese, Hongkon gers, Americans). Multidimensional scaling performed on the card-sorting da ta resulted in a two-dimensional solution. Emphasis on Dimension I (moderni ty) correlated with positive perception of Hong Kong and Hong Kong people w hile emphasis on Dimension 2 (Confucian values) correlated with positive pe rception of China and Chinese. In addition, compared to adolescents who ide ntified themselves as Chinese or Chinese-Hongkongers, those who identified themselves as Hongkongers or Hongkonger-Chinese placed more emphasis on mod ernity and less on Confucian values. The results were discussed with refere nce to Tajfel's theory of social identity. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.