Normative Influences on Civility in Hong Kong

Civility, which means maintaining good social relationships in public, emerges to be topical for its revival and upgrading. It seems to have normative bases in the family and society, in terms of solicitude and social harmony. To examine the bases, the present study surveyed 1,138 adults in Hong Kong, randomly sampled from the residential population. By the analysis of data at the individual level, the study revealed that solicitude from family members and awareness about advocacy for social harmony through the mass media indicated positive effects on civility. The study implies that the family and mass media can transmit the normative influences of solicitude and social harmony to the citizen’s civility.