Temporal causal links between outgroup attitudes and social categorization: The case of Hong Kong 1997 transition

Social identity theories have posited that people's social categorization renders ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination. However, studies conducted during political transitions (South Africa's democratic election and East-West German unification) have revealed mixed directions of the causal links between social categorization and intergroup attitudes. To further address this issue, we conducted two longitudinal studies during the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. Study 1 revealed mixed temporal causal links between Hong Kong participants' social categorization and their attitudes toward Chinese Mainlanders across four waves. In Study 2, we conducted a summer camp in which Hong Kong participants came into contact with new immigrants from Mainland China. In this condition, Hong Kong participants' prior attitudes toward Mainlanders predicted their subsequent social categorization. These findings were interpreted in terms of intergroup relations during political transitions. Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications.