Harmony, Hierarchy and Conservatism: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Confucian Values in China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan

Abstract

This study examined 1,631 college students’ endorsement of traditional Confucian values in four East Asian cultural contexts (i.e., China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan). Findings showed that young people endorsed values of interpersonal harmony the most, followed by the relational hierarchy and traditional conservatism respectively. Results also indicated that participants in China provided the highest ratings for interpersonal harmony and relational hierarchy among the four cultures. Finally, results demonstrated that Japanese females were more conservative than Japanese males and females in China and Taiwan. Results were discussed in the philosophical tradition of Confucianism, globalization and culture change in the East Asian cultures.

Keywords:

• Confucian Values
• China
• South Korea
• Japan
• Taiwan
• Harmony
• Hierarchy
• Conservatism
• Gender

Notes

Yan Bing Zhang (PhD, University of Kansas) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. Mei-Chen Lin (PhD, University of Kansas) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. Akihiko Nonaka is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at Seinan Gakuin University, and an instructor at Fukuoka University, Japan. Khisu Beom is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas.

The authors thanks Dr Karen Anderson for constructive comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Khisu Beom

Yan Bing Zhang (PhD, University of Kansas) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. Mei-Chen Lin (PhD, University of Kansas) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Studies at Kent State University. Akihiko Nonaka is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at Seinan Gakuin University, and an instructor at Fukuoka University, Japan. Khisu Beom is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. The authors thanks Dr Karen Anderson for constructive comments on an earlier draft of this paper.