Filial Piety, Acculturation, and Intergenerational Communication Among New Zealand Chinese

Abstract

The question of who should care for senior citizens acquires new significance at a time when populations are aging. What responsibilities are accepted by younger family members and how does the degree of acceptance vary among individuals? Attitudes toward some of these responsibilities, otherwise known as filial piety, were surveyed among 2 generations (young and middle-aged) representative of New Zealand Chinese in Wellington (100 families). Overall, there was strong acceptance of filial piety obligations. Felt expectations from elderly parents were stronger than those felt from grandparents. Regression analyses indicated that social identifications as a New Zealander and as a Chinese were independent and positive predictors of filial piety obligations and expectations. Gender, place of birth, and Chinese language fluency had no independent associations with filial piety, but the younger generation rated expectations on them higher than did the middle-aged. Filial piety obligations were positively correlated with feelings of happiness following communication with elderly family and nonfamily. The role of acculturation on Chinese immigrants is discussed.