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• Nearly 60% of respondents of ethnic minority Hong Kong youth (covering Pakistani, Filipino, Indian, and Nepali) identified themselves as Hong Kong people/Chinese

• In this research, the Ethnic Identity Scale is used to identify the four ethnic identity statuses of those answering the questionnaires, nearly 70% were in diffusion or foreclosure statuses and over 90% reported feeling negative, indicating that a majority of respondents never or rarely explored their personal ethnic identity and felt negative about their ethnic group membership.

• Highlights of Policy Suggestions:

1. 1) Launch the Partner Internship Programme

2.  

3. 2) Make good use of“Project Gemstone”and“Project Himalaya”

4.  

3. 3) Building an ethnic history and culture pavilion and database

Hong Kong, 8th Dec 2022: Hong Kong's social inclusion policy, which aims to ensure equality and respect for everyone in different areas of life, rarely mentions ethnic identity.

However, for ethnic minority Hong Kong youth in a race with low socio-economic status (hereafter referred to as disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth), ethnic identity may have an impact on their psychology, growth, and long-term development in Hong Kong, and any mishandling will cost both individuals and society. This research focuses on the ethnic identity of disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth, probes into the obstacles they face and potential impacts, and puts forward policy suggestions..

Ethnic Identity Scale

We have collected questionnaires from 144 secondary school students aged 12 to 17 from disadvantaged ethnic minorities. The Ethnic Identity Scale (EIS) is used to identify the four ethnic identity statuses of those answering the questionnaires: diffusion, foreclosure, moratorium, and achievement. For each status, the youth state can be divided into positive and negative states: youth in the positive state feel good about their ethnic group membership, and vice-versa, depending on their experience of social interaction. See Table 1 for details.

Diffusion/ foreclosure negative youth deserve more attention

Nearly 60% of respondents identified themselves as Hong Kong people/Chinese (28.2% stated

“I am Hong Kong people/Chinese” + 29.6% stated “I am (ethnic minority) + Hong Kong/Chinese”). Among the ethnic identity categories, however, 68.0% were diffusion or foreclosure, and 94.4% reported feeling negative, indicating that a majority of respondents never or rarely explored their personal ethnic identity and felt negative.  More than 25% of respondents, though having explored (achievement), and identified and accepted their personal ethnic identity, still felt negative. As the prejudice and harm caused by interactions with different social and family members build up, self-stigmatisation emerges, along with more negative feelings that undermine self-confidence and value.

The ethnic identity statues of disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth are related to their place of birth and family background. Those born in Hong Kong or whose parents/grandparents were born in Hong Kong are more likely to positively explore and determine their ethnic identity, indicating a certain degree of parental influence.

Achievement negative youth have better mental health

It can be seen that even if youth feel negative about their ethnic identity, those in achievement status perform better than those in diffusion/foreclosure statuses. In terms of interpersonal relationships, they tend to have better relationships with same minority and other minority youth and are more socially active. In terms of campus life, they are more active in discussing their work with students of other races and take leadership roles in the students societies. If young people can think creatively and take the initiative to explore and solve problems, they will perform better in different areas. Some of the interviewed youth show characteristics typical of the achievement positive status, such as great affirmation of their ethnic identity, pride in their ethnic identity, feeling fine, accepting Hong Kong as their home, and intending to contribute to Hong Kong society and ethnic minorities.

Ethnic identity issues faced by disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth

We have conducted 25 in-depth interviews with disadvantaged ethnic minority students, parents of disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth, front-line professionals working with ethnic minority HK youth, and representatives of relevant support organisations. Here, we list the ethnic identity issues faced by disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth interviewed or approached by the respondents in different categories.

Integrating into family and society: Disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth come into conflict with family traditions, which makes them feel ambiguous about their ethnic identity. The way the Chinese view and treat them makes the disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth feel as if they are“not Chinese”.  They have to find a way to blend in with the Chinese community on their own, or they will find it hard to feel at home in Hong Kong.

Campus study and life: Low cultural sensitivity and insufficient Chinese education in schools, being bullied and excluded by Chinese classmates affect their learning progress and confidence in integrating into the Chinese group.

Financial problems: High cost of education in Hong Kong or other financial needs affect their integration into campus life. Due to financial needs and urging by families, they must work early to earn money.

Career development issues: Poor Chinese proficiency creates a closed career circle. Most companies have a high proportion of Chinese employees (including civil service), and such positions have high requirements for Chinese proficiency, which can be an obstacle to job hunting.

This research puts forth policy suggestions that can create conditions conducive to establishing their ethnic identity, and reduce the hurdles they face.

Suggestion 1: Launch the Partner Internship Programme

The government should launch the Partner Internship Programme. In terms of internship arrangement, it can follow the practice of some NGOs, where one Chinese youth is paired with one disadvantaged ethnic minority youth. The government should provide more funding and promotion assistance to encourage more organisations to sign up for the “Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers”.

Suggestion 2: Make good use of “Project Gemstone”and“Project Himalaya”

The two Projects can be developed in two directions:

Direction 1 - Hong Kong Police Force should extend the enhanced projects from the current Yau Tsim Police District and Yuen Long Police District to other police districts, enabling more minority HK youth to know about and sign up for the projects.

Direction 2 - The disciplined services and government departments can launch more similar projects, attract more aspirants, and develop training and internship content according to the needs of each department. This will help youth with different aspirations choose and join disciplined services or government departments that fit them and increase the sense of responsibility among the participants.

Suggestion 3: Organise Ethnic Minority Ambassador Group to encourage participation in community affairs within the system

Given that youth joining the “Ethnic Minority Ambassador Programme” are employed by different agencies or organisations, the government can set up an Ethnic Minority Ambassador Group that consists of all ambassadors (previous and present), so they can play a role in participating in the community within the system.

Suggestion 4: Build an ethnic history and culture pavilion and database

To provide resources for disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth to explore their ethnic identity. On the one hand, ethnic minority HK youth need easy access to data, understand it, and convert it into personal resources. On the other hand, the ethnic identity of ethnic minority HK youth is subject to outside influence. Therefore, the general public can change their attitudes towards disadvantaged minorities by becoming more aware of ethnic minority history and culture.

Suggestion 5: The government recognises the identity of ethnic minorities as Hong Kong people

The government can still use the term “ethnic minority”. However, ethnic minorities born in Hong Kong or living in Hong Kong for at least seven years should be referred to as “Hong Kong + Native” (e.g., Hong Kong Pakistani; terms such as Hong Kong people of Pakistani origin are also worth considering). The use of kinder and friendlier words, may increase willingness of the mainstream society to accept disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth.

Author of the research, MWYO's Deputy Research Director David Lai expressed that,“Ethnic identity is of crucial importance for disadvantaged ethnic minority HK youth, for it not only exerts an impact on their growth but affects a wide range of areas such as their mental health, relationships, school life and community participation. This, however, is completely ignored by our inclusion policy. We hope that through our policy suggestions, the misunderstanding and exclusion experienced by ethnic minority HK youth and their families will be replaced by understanding and tolerance. The government and Hong Kong as a whole should provide diversified and more effective support according to the characteristics of different ethnic identity stages, so that all ethnic minorities can make this city their home and work together for Hong Kong's next chapter.”

Full Report: https://bit.ly/MWYO_Dec22_EthnicMinority