Democratic Support and Cultural Values: An Empirical Study of Hong Kong and East Asian Societies

This article examines the possible negative impacts of two East Asian traditional values—the notion of paternalistic meritocracy and the instrumental perception of ideal political arrangements—on popular support for democracy in Hong Kong and East Asian societies. Based on data drawn from various surveys, East Asians are found to be quite attached to paternalistic meritocracy and democratic instrumentalism. Comparatively, Hong Kong people are less inclined to perceive democracy in a procedural way although they are less attached to paternalistic meritocracy. Regression analysis demonstrates a negative correlation between these two values, with a preference for democracy.