Multiculturalism, Culture Mixing, and Prejudice: Effects of Priming Chinese Diversity Models Among Hong Kong University Students

Abstract

In two studies, we investigated how Hong Kong university students reacted to descriptions of China as multicultural vs. assimilatory, examining effects on emotions, prejudice toward Mainland Chinese, attitudes toward Hong Kong/China culture mixing, and cultural identities. Study 1 compared a multicultural priming condition to a control condition and found that the multiculturalism prime significantly reduced desire to socially distance from Mainland Chinese. Study 2 compared multiculturalism, assimilation, or control primes’ effects, and found that the multiculturalism prime, through increased positive emotions, indirectly reduced social distancing from Mainland Chinese and disgust toward culture mixing, and increased Chinese ethnic identity and multicultural identity styles; the assimilation prime had the opposite indirect effects through increasing negative emotions. Results show new evidence of the importance of emotion in how non-immigrant regional groups, who are both minority and majority culture members, react to different diversity models. Multicultural frames increased positive emotions, with downstream positive effects on both intergroup attitudes and integrated identities.

The Interplay of Culture Mixing Aversion and Acculturative Flourishing: An Exploration among Mainland Chinese Sojourners in Hong Kong

“…In addition, these studies also found that Americans and Filipinos rated mixed cultural symbols as the most disgusting compared to standalone or sideby-side presentations, a main effect that was replicated in several other studies (Cheon & Hong, 2020;Shi et al, 2016;Yang et al, 2016). Similarly, in Hong Kong, local identification predicted elevated disgust towards any images featuring mainland Chin-ese cultural elements (Cheon & Hong, 2020;Ye & Buchtel, 2021). In conclusion, these findings highlight the complexity of reactions to culture mixing, emphasizing the need to address and mitigate the negative perceptions associated with blending cultural elements in order to foster greater intercultural understanding and acceptance.…”

“…F. S. Ng et al, 2017). Under such circumstances, immigrants' negative reactions toward culture mixing may be linked to prejudice and discrimination against outgroups (Rottman et al, 2018;Shi et al, 2016;Yang et al, 2016;Ye & Buchtel, 2021). Therefore, understanding the dynamics of psychological reactions to cultural mixing is crucial for fostering a more inclusive and harmonious society that can embrace diversity and facilitate the integration of immigrants.…”

Does the mainland China–Hong Kong exchange program change the views of local university students in Hong Kong on regional cooperation? A randomized control-group pre-test post-test experiment

“…Therefore, the students believe that Hong Kong should strengthen its cooperation with mainland China. On the other hand, local Hong Kong university students do not prefer Hong Kong to be assimilated into mainland China ( Ye, 2021 ). They believe that Hong Kong’s advantage depends on its institutions, and Hong Kong should maintain its unique position and avoid losing these advantages to cities in mainland China ( Cheung, 2012 ; Yang and Li, 2013 ).…”

Cultural Stressors and Cultural Identity Styles Among Hispanic College Students

“…Both styles are accessible to individuals who identify with multiple cultures though their activation is affected by personal preferences and social conditions, such as perceived sociopolitical norms (Qumseya, 2018;Ward et al, 2023). Some studies have shown that HIS and AIS are unrelated, but others have found them to be positively correlated, with the magnitude varying across ethnic groups and cultural contexts (Ng Tseung-Wong et al, 2022;Qumseya, 2018;Treffers-Daller et al, 2020;Ward et al, 2018;Ye & Buchtel, 2021).…”