From critical citizenship to compliant citizenship: The transformation of citizenship norms during autocratization in Hong Kong

• In Event: 40851 - Democracy and Authoritarianism

Abstract

Citizenship norms refer to people’s ideas about how a good citizen should act, implying a fundamental belief in the legitimate relationship between the state and its citizens. Discussions on the transformation of citizenship norms typically focus on generational value changes and the role of technological advancements in this process. However, studies on the impact of autocratization on citizenship norms are relatively sparse. By comparing the relationship between political efficacy and citizenship norms in 2020, 2021, and 2024 (N = 817, 1066, and 1002 respectively), which represent different phases of autocratization in Hong Kong, this paper reveals that people’s belief in citizenship norms has increasingly depended on external efficacy. There was a declining trend in the relationship between engaged citizenship and collective efficacy. Furthermore, the association between engaged citizenship and collective efficacy was weaker among pro-democratic citizens in the later stages of autocratization.

Authors

• Gary Tang, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

• Chi Kit Chan, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

• Francis L. F. Lee, The Chinese University of Hong Kong