One Country, Two Cities: a comparison of perceived cohesion in Guangzhou and Hong Kong

Social cohesion and social harmony are important social agendas in China and Hong Kong. While they are promoted in China under rapid economic expansion and rising wealth disparity, they are upheld to promote social stability in Hong Kong. Rather than discussing the content of social policies that contribute to social cohesion, this chapter instead discusses the subjective dimension of social cohesion. Two surveys were conducted to compare and discuss the concept of "perceived social cohesion" (Bollen, 1984) in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The total sample size of two surveys was 2,127. Results show that generally, residents in Guangzhou had a higher level of "perceived social cohesion" than that of Hong Kong. Further Statistical analyses examine the differences of "perceived social cohesion" levels of different demographic groups. Finally, this chapter attempts to argue that while China is still playing a strong role in social care and in keeping social cohesion, Hong Kong is still emphasizing on individual responsibilities. Social cohesion cannot be treated as a moral and political campaign, but has to be anchored in social policy based on citizenship if it is to be realized.