Sociocultural change and traditional values: Confucian values among Koreans and Korean Americans

Abstract

A focus on differences in Western and non-Western value orientations may have obscured variations in values within cultures and the changes that many Eastern societies are undergoing as a result of rapid industrialization and exposure to Western ideas and practices. This study examined these issues in relation to two groups of Koreans, one living in Korea and another that has emigrated to the US, to understand the factors associated with variations among individuals’ endorsement of traditional Confucian values. As predicted, traditional values were less strong among Koreans who were younger, female, and in greater contact with Western ideas in both countries. However, higher education and greater exposure to modern lifestyle had the predicted negative effects on traditional values only among Detroit Koreans. Further analysis revealed no significant interaction between gender and exposure to Western ideas. It thus appeared that the gender disparity in Koreans’ value endorsement was primarily shaped by historically determined gender-biased social experiences. None of the immigration variables (i.e., experience of adaptive limitations and/or of prejudice and discrimination) showed the predicted ethnic affirmation pattern in traditional value endorsement. Yet immigrants’ experience of financial difficulty was significantly associated with their self-reports that their appreciation of Korean values increased since coming to the US. The results reinforce the importance of understanding individuals’ values within their particular evolving socio-cultural-historical contexts.