Influences of parenting styles on perceptions of high-freedom-threatening language in anti-drug messages in Hong Kong

This paper considers the notion derived from psychological reactance theory that Asian audiences, Chinese in particular, have a less negative attitude towards high-freedom-threatening (HT) messages owing to their collectivistic culture that places less value on individual freedom. The attitudes of 48 participants studying at a local university in Hong Kong towards HT messages in anti-drug campaigns revealed clear preferences for HT messages. Our findings highlight that such a positive attitude cannot be explained solely by collectivistic values of freedom. Instead, we found the influence of traditional Chinese parenting styles experienced during childhood as a potential origin of such perceptions. These findings emphasise the need for a nuanced understanding of the factors shaping attitudes towards HT messages in Asian contexts and the development of more effective anti-drug messaging strategies tailored to the preferences and cultural backgrounds of the target audiences.