Ethnic and national identification of minority youth in China: The mediating role of intergroup orientation

TL;DR

This study explores how ethnic identity influences national identity among Yi minority youth in China through positive intergroup attitudes.

Contribution

The study identifies intergroup orientation as a mediator between ethnic and national identification in a minority group.

Findings

Stronger ethnic identity correlates with stronger national identity among Yi minority youths.

Ethnic identity leads to a more positive intergroup orientation, which enhances national identity.

Findings suggest ways to foster positive relations and national identity in multiethnic societies.

Abstract

This study examined the mediating role of intergroup orientation in the relationship between ethnic and national identification. Our participants were 1320 Yi minority youths from a secondary school located in the Yi ethnic autonomous prefecture of southwest China. The participants completed three self-report questionnaires measuring ethnic and national identification, and intergroup orientation, respectively. Structural equation modeling was employed to determine the relationships between ethnic and national identification and intergroup orientation, and to explore the mechanism underlying the association between ethnic and national identification. The results showed that Yi minority youths with a stronger sense of ethnic identity had a stronger sense of national identity. The results further indicated that stronger ethnic identity led to a more positive intergroup orientation, which in turn predicted a stronger national identity. Our findings may facilitate the cultivation of positive attitudes between national subgroups in multiethnic countries and help ethnic minority youth develop a stronger awareness of national identity while retaining their ethnic identity.

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