The relative importance of self-esteem and collective self-esteem to subjective wellbeing: A study of Hong Kong Chinese and Australian Chinese

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of self-esteem and collective self-esteem (CSE) in predicting subjective wellbeing (SWB) for the Hong Kong Chinese and Australian Chinese, with the latter group comprising first-generation and second-generation immigrants. Both self-esteem and CSE predicted SWB variance for all Chinese respondents by embedding in the homeostatic model of SWB, but it was interesting to note that CSE predicted SWB variance more strongly for Australian Chinese than Hong Kong Chinese and that the amount of SWB variance contributed by CSE was highest for Australian second-generation Chinese immigrants. These findings were in line with the higher level of collectivism found among Australian Chinese individuals, which were explained in terms of migrant status and nostalgic sentiment. Nostalgic sentiment reinforces ethnic group identity as an important dimension of self-evaluation for Australian Chinese.