Development of the Hong Kong Identity Scale: Differentiation between Hong Kong ‘Locals’ and Mainland Chinese in Cultural and Civic Domains

Development of the Hong Kong Identity Scale: Differentiation between Hong Kong ‘Locals’ and Mainland Chinese in Cultural and Civic Domains
Siu-lun Chow, King-wa Fu and Yu-Leung Ng
This study deployed a systematic method to develop and validate a measurement for the identity of Hong Kong people, reflecting the emerging localistic attitude in the city. Drawing on a two-dimensional identity model, a combination of cultural and civic domains, an operationalization for Hong Kong identity was derived to differentiate between ‘HongKongese’ and others with stronger Mainland-Chinese oriented identity. Cultural attribute, such as language and choice of technology products, is found to be of paramount importance in identity confirmation. Anti-authoritarianism and proactive political participation are the two major discriminatory features in the civic domain. Social distance from Mainland Chinese is positively associated with these key components of the scale, supporting the scale’s construct validity and confirming the nativist tendency of certain groups
of Hong Kong localists.

Publication date

2020

Journal title, volume/issue number, page range

Journal of Contemporary China

ISSN

Print ISSN: 1067-0564 Online ISSN: 1469-9400

Specialisation

Social Sciences

Theme

Society