Relationship of living historical memories and news source with national identity: A latent class analysis

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that national identity is associated with one’s memory of the nation’s past (i.e., historical events) and current information received from mass media. This study tied these two areas of research to examine if narratives of historical memory, the valence of those memories, and preferred media use/news sources (traditional vs. digital) would be associated with national identity, trust in government, and system justification. Data were obtained through the Digital Influence II Survey–Hong Kong region. Participants were asked to recall three historical events that had the greatest impact on their country and to report the valence of their evaluation of those events. Using latent class analysis, a two‐class structure (superordinate group focus vs. subgroup focus memory) was identified from participants’ historical narratives. For participants in the superordinate group focus, valence on the historical memories was positively associated with trust in government, system justification, and national identity. The use of traditional media (over digital media) predicted higher trust in government and system justification, but not national identity. Implications regarding recent protests in Hong Kong, tightening media control, and social movements on social media are discussed.