Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
8-2024
Abstract
Endorsing conspiracy beliefs about an outgroup typically fosters ingroup bias. However, the response of bicultural individuals to conspiracy theories about one of their ingroups remains understudied. We posited that bicultural individuals’ display of ingroup bias in such situations hinges on their levels of bicultural identity integration (BII). Two studies involving Chinese American participants revealed that conspiracy beliefs about China were associated with lower Chinese ingroup bias among those with higher BII levels. In Study 1, high BII Chinese Americans who endorsed conspiracy theories about China reported less favorable perceptions of the Chinese ingroup, but not among low BII Chinese Americans. Study 2 replicated findings in Study 1 in that high (vs. low) BII Chinese Americans with higher conspiracy beliefs about China were less willing to allocate monetary resources to a fictitious Chinese charity and reported lower Chinese patriotism. This research contributes to the identity integration literature by illustrating how bicultural individuals with varying BII levels respond differently to geopolitical tensions in the context of conspiracy beliefs.
Keywords
biculturalism, bicultural identity integration (BII), conspiracy belief, ingroup bias, Chinese American, COVID-19
Discipline
Asian Studies | Sociology of Culture
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology
Volume
55
Issue
6
First Page
600
Last Page
618
ISSN
0022-0221
Identifier
10.1177/00220221241263921
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Citation
TAN, Edison, CHENG, Chi-ying, LEUNG, Angela K. Y., & WEE, Sheila X. R..(2024). To whom thou art bound: Bicultural identity integration moderates the influence of conspiracy beliefs on Chinese Americans’ ingroup bias. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 55(6), 600-618.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/4018
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221241263921