One country two systems: a comparative study of national identity between Hong Kong and Macau

Abstract

Drawing from dual attachment theory, this study utilizes newly released survey data to investigate issues regarding the national identity in Hong Kong and Macau that are governed under the “one country, two systems” principle. In both cities, we found a strong affinity for the local identity among the young generations, and a more balanced coexistence of both the local and the Chinese identities for the elder generations; there was a rejection of the Chinese identity for the young generation in Hong Kong. We argue that both civic and cultural elements are influential factors in shaping an individual’s identity, and that there is evidence of a complementing dual attachment; however, the complementary relationship becomes incompatible if generational differences are considered, suggesting that the dual attachment framework does not sufficiently address the issue of national identity for the young generation in Hong Kong.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

The HKPSSD data collection was conducted by the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research (CASER) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), with funding support from the RGC Central Policy Unit’s Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme [HKUST6001-SPPR-08], and the Collaborative Research Fund of Hong Kong Research Grants Council [C6011-16GF]. We thank the Principal Investigator of the both projects, Professor Xiaogang Wu, for generously granting us access to the HKPSSD data. The authors would like to thank Department of Sociology at University of Macau for providing access to MSS data. The MSS was funded by the University of Macau [File No: MYRG2015-00116-FSS]. We would also want to acknowledge two anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions that greatly improved the manuscript. This work was partially supported by Multiple Year Research Grant [ref: MYRG2018-00222-FSS] funded by RDAO, University of Macau. The views expressed are those of the authors.

Notes on contributors

Tianji Cai

Tianji Cai is an associate professor of sociology at University of Macau. His research focuses on quantitative research methods, especially the issues of sampling weights in multilevel and longitudinal models. In addition, he is also interested in integrating genetics and sociology in the studies of social and health behaviors.

Ruoyang Tang

Ruoyang Tang is a PhD candidate in department of Sociology at University of Macau. Her work focuses specifically on drug trafficking patterns in China. Her research interests are social work, criminology and social problems in China.

Hongyu Wang

Hongyu Wang is an associate professor in the Sociology Department, University of Macau. Her research interests include the study of associational participation, social networking use and political participation in contemporary China.

Spencer De Li

Spencer D. Li is a professor in the Department of Sociology at University of Macau. His research interests include sociology of religion, child development, criminology, and survey research. Dr. Li has served as principal investigator on many publicly and privately funded projects related to adolescent development, religion, substance abuse and criminal justice, including grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Administration for Children and Families, and Social Welfare Bureau of Macao Special Administrative Region Government. His publications have appeared in many leading academic journals, including Journal of Early Adolescence, Evaluation Review, Criminology, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Justice Quarterly, and Journal of Youth and Adolescence.