HOMELAND, GENDER AND CHINESE DRINKING

Taiwan and Hong Kong represent areas of rapid industrial development and the attentuation of traditional Chinese attitudes toward drinking. To measure the influence of the different homelands on alcohol consumption, a survey of 150 foreign Chinese students (94 males and 56 females) was conducted. In terms of homeland, 95 participants (63.3%) were from mainland China, 29 (19.3%) were from Taiwan, and 26 (17.3%) were from Hong Kong. Both homeland and gender were found to be important predictors of alcohol consumption. Those from mainland China drank less than those from either Taiwan or Hong Kong. It is concluded that cultural values play an important role in explaining drinking among the Chinese.