The Role of Competition in Today's Hong Kong The Views of Hong Kong Chinese Adolescents in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Open-ended responses to the question "what kind of role does competition play in Hong Kong today?" were obtained from 257 senior Hong Kong secondary school students aged 16-18 years. Content analysis showed the respondents viewed competition in terms of the areas in which competition was involved, the importance of such competition, and the value of this competition. Their views of areas of competition were closest to the reported views of Hungarian and Japanese peers but nothing like those of UK or US adolescents who placed more emphasis on competition in sports. The respondents also viewed competition as very important and generally a positive force leading to the improvement of Hong Kong at both societal and individual levels. Like the research program of Fulop et al., these findings show that views of the nature and function of competition vary across cultures and that collectivist societies can be just or more competitive than individualist.