关键词: 中华民族认同, 社会参与, 主观幸福感, 社会信任

Abstract: Chinese national identity serves as a critical foundation for maintaining national unity, promoting social harmony, and enhancing ethnic solidarity. According to the social identity theory, individuals’ identification with the social categories or groups to which they belong significantly influences their behavior. Social engagement refers to the process by which members of society engage, intervene, and get involved in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the nation and in community affairs, thereby impacting social development. “Identity” functions as a crucial motivational mechanism driving public engagement in sustainable development. While there are different degrees, forms, and types of engagement, the psychological basis for people’s willingness to engage in social activities lies in the recognition that they belong to a specific group and they share common ideals, beliefs, and emotional bonds. Consequently, we think Chinese national identity can positively predict social engagement. The cognitive-affective-conative model posits that individuals undergo cognitive processing of knowledge and information, which elicits specific emotional responses, leading to deliberate and planned comprehensive decision-making. Therefore, we also investigate the sequential mediating role of subjective well-being and social trust between Chinese national identity and social engagement. Previous research has provided extensive insights through theoretical reflection, policy interpretation, and case analysis, reflecting the academic community’s concern with significant issues, such as strengthening the sense of community among the Chinese nation. However, there is a notable gap in empirical research on Chinese national identity and its impact, with a relatively limited number of participants. In response to this gap, the present study, grounded in the “cognitive-affective-conative” model and using data from the CSS2021 survey, examines the social-psychological mechanisms through which Chinese national identity influences social engagement, thereby expanding the research on Chinese national identity from a quantitative perspective.
The study investigates the following hypotheses: (1) Chinese national identity positively predicts social engagement; (2) subjective well-being mediates the relationship between Chinese national identity and social engagement; (3) social trust mediates the relationship between Chinese national identity and social engagement; (4) subjective well-being and social trust jointly serve as a chain mediation between Chinese national identity and social engagement. The CSS 2021 project surveyed a total of 10,136 individuals. After excluding incomplete and non-responses, 3,098 valid samples remained, with 1,512 males (48.8%) and 1,586 females (51.2%). The age range of the participants was between 18 and 70 years, with a mean age of 42.47 (SD = 14.57). The findings indicate that Chinese national identity positively predicts social engagement. Subjective well-being mediates the relationship between Chinese national identity and social engagement. Social trust mediates the relationship between Chinese national identity and social engagement. Subjective well-being and social trust function as a chain mediation between Chinese national identity and social engagement.
From the perspective of psychological and behavioral development, during the internalization phase, individuals integrate Chinese national identity into their own belief system and gradually form a profound understanding of the Chinese national community. In the externalization phase, individuals translate this internalized identity into conscious and habitual behaviors, actively engaging in and practicing the awareness of the Chinese national community. In this process of “internalizing in mind and externalizing in action”, individuals’ national consciousness is continuously strengthened, ultimately crystallizing into a firm sense of Chinese national community identity. In future practice, efforts can be made to engage schools, communities, businesses, and government institutions by organizing activities that are both appealing to the public and rich in national memory and cultural characteristics. These activities should help participants understand, learn about, and deeply appreciate Chinese national history. The goal is to internalize these experiences into profound situational memories, thereby strengthening participants’ sense of national identity and enhancing their social engagement. Future research could employ a variety of methods to collect data, ensuring the robustness of result analysis, including multiple respondent reports, field observations and interviews, and laboratory-based behavioral tasks. Additionally, the sequential mediation effect identified in this study represents a partial mediation, indicating that other underlying mechanisms may exist between Chinese national identity and social engagement. Future studies should continue to explore these additional mechanisms.

Key words: Chinese national identity, social engagement, subjective well-being, social trust