The development of Hong Kong students’ civic attitudes under Chinese sovereignty
Asian Education and Development Studies
ISSN: 2046-3162
Article publication date: 10 September 2018
Issue publication date: 28 November 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The recent mobilization of many Hong Kong youth to engage in what are regarded as radical political activities is not a new area of investigation. Much has been discussed about this growing political activism and localism often giving an impression that Hong Kong youth are radical and disengaged from China as a nation. Yet little is known about the possible antecedents of such disengagement. The purpose of this paper is to identify whether there is empirical evidence of growth or decline in civic trust and national attitudes amongst Hong Kong young adolescents over the ten-year period from 1999 to 2009.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study latent profile analyses were used to classify cohorts of Hong Kong secondary students according to the levels of their self-reported trust in civic institutions and attitudes toward the nation. The cohorts were separated by a ten-year gap. Comparisons were made across groups and across the ten-year time span, in order to trace changes in civic attitudes of young adolescents following the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997.
Findings
Three distinct groups were identified in both cohorts – Activists, who had negative attitudes to trust and toward the nation, Nationalists who had positive attitudes toward trust and the nation and Moderates who endorsed average responses to the, two variables. The gaps between the groups tended to be greater in the 2009 group compared to the 1999 groups suggesting greater polarization amongst adolescents on these measures.
Originality/value
Young adolescents cannot be assumed to be politically neutral or lacking social values. Citizenship education needs to take this into account so that values can be clarified and major issues can be discussed in a safe and supportive environment.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by the Central Policy Unit of the Hong Kong SAR Government that funded the project, “Youth Radicalism in Hong Kong: Exploring Changes in Adolescents’ Civic Consciousness and Attitudes to the Nation” (Project No. 2015.A5.019.16B). The views expressed are those of the authors and not the funding body.
Citation
Kennedy, K.J., Li, L.J. and Ng, H.Y. (2018), "The development of Hong Kong students’ civic attitudes under Chinese sovereignty", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 7 No. 4, pp. 382-394. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-04-2017-0035
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited