Adaptation and social interaction among Africans in Hong Kong: The role of assimilation and integration

Abstract

Promoting cross-cultural adaptation and social interactions among diverse cultural groups in multicultural societies has long been a focus of social and cross-cultural psychologists. However, such research is scant in an East Asian context where acculturation and intercultural encounters are now taking place. This study examines how acculturation expectations and strategies of assimilation and integration of the host majority (Hongkongers; N = 476) and immigrant groups (Africans; N = 215) shape adaptation and social interaction in the sociocultural context of Hong Kong. The mediation roles of perceived discrimination and multicultural ideologies were tested in these relationships. The results revealed that integration strategies are linked with psychological adaptation, whereas assimilation is linked with sociocultural adaptation difficulties for the immigrant group. For the host majority group, assimilation expectations were related to increased sociocultural adaptation difficulty, while a negative relationship emerged between integration expectations and sociocultural adaptation difficulty. Additional mediation analyses demonstrated that perceived discrimination and multicultural ideologies explain a significant proportion of variance in acculturation orientations and the intention to avoid interactions with the respective cultural groups. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings for Africans and Hongkongers relationship are discussed. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.