Making intercultural friends: How social and individual factors affect the Mainland-Hong Kong friendship network

In recent years, there has been a rapid growth of Mainland students in higher education institutions in Hong Kong. However, it is frequently reported that Mainland students have difficulties in developing friendship with local peers. To facilitate the MainlandHK integration, this study examines the relationship that mediates social and individual factors and Mainland-HK friendship. 159 students completed an online survey, which was followed by semi-structured interviews with 24 students.


Results showed that mainland students rated their intercultural friendship higher in terms of quality and the number of friends and that willingness to communicate (WTC) in second language (L2) was correlated with the satisfaction in friendship between the two groups. Perceived language proficiency was correlated with L2 WTC although it is not totally correlated with the level of friendship, while prior intercultural experience was correlated with L2 WTC and the number of mainland friends among local students. The finding also sheds light on implications to university support and future research.