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International Journal of
Population Studies Transportation assimilation in Hong Kong

characteristics, represented by the density of certain ethnic
population within a region (Haustein et al., 2019; Smart,
2015).
While the minibus is a major type of transportation in
Hong Kong, compared to other major transportation types,
immigrants are less likely to take a minibus. As shown in
Table 1, Hong Kong locals were consistently more likely
to take the minibus than immigrants throughout the
census years. Except for Chinese who migrated before
1997, migrants from all other cultural backgrounds were
significantly less likely to take minibus than the locals.
This observation is in line with the previous research on
immigrants in Hong Kong, in which immigrants arriving
before 1997 were the most well-integrated due to the
rather tolerant sociopolitical environment toward the
mainlanders in the pre-Handover period (Fong & Guo,
2018; Sun & Fong, 2021; Sun & Fong, 2022). We postulate
that one major reason for most immigrants’ relatively low
participation in minibus taking is the non-standardized
logistics of getting on and getting off the minibus. As
staying longer in Hong Kong would increase one’s
knowledge of this place, we hypothesized that a longer
duration in Hong Kong is positively related to one’s likelihood
to take minibuses (H1).
Figure 1. Green minibus (top) and red minibus (down) in Hong Kong
To better analyze both the individual and contextual
the minibus route beforehand and patiently wait along variables that influence immigrants’ travel socialization,
the route to wave to the minibus driver when the minibus we applied a social integration theory about preferences
approaches. After getting on, the passenger must be very and opportunities in this study (Martinovic et al., 2009).
familiar with the minibus route to shout to the driver in This standard theory was previously used in research on
Cantonese loudly when the bus is close to the destination. ethnic intermarriage or casual contact in leisure time
The “shouting” of “chin min yau lok” (stop at the front) not (Kalmijn, 1998; Martinovic et al., 2009). Here, we further
only needs much courage for a non-native passenger who extend the theory to interethnic contacts that require even
is often not fluent in Cantonese, but it also is not rare that less verbal communication but need much interaction,
the driver somehow has not heard or fully understood the such as immigrants’ minibus ridership in Hong Kong.
“shouting” and the minibus passes the stop.
1.2.1. Preferences: Individual-level characteristics
As a medium between franchised buses and taxis,
minibuses have provided both flexibility and convenience McPherson et al. (2001) propose the homophily principle,
for local passengers at an affordable price. However, this which argues that social networks of every type are
whole set of localized and culturally loaded procedures partially guided by people’s preference for interaction with
to take minibuses creates many difficulties for non-native similar others. People prefer to interact with culturally
passengers, who rarely master Cantonese or have enough similar individuals because the similarity promotes mutual
knowledge of the local geography. Therefore, taking a understanding (Kalmijn, 1998). Translating the homophily
minibus is an important step in marking a non-native’s principle into immigrants’ transportation socialization,
transportation assimilation in Hong Kong. we would expect immigrants to avoid certain modes of
transportation that are not common in their original
1.2. Theories and previous research: The homophily cultures at the time of arrival.
principle – preferences and opportunities To understand how individuals form their preferences

Literature on travel socialization has mainly focused on in transportation behaviors, we look into the demographic
two sets of factors that may influence immigrants’ travel and economic variables pointed out in the previous
behaviors, which are individual variables, such as one’s literature, including their age, ethnicity, cultural origin,
demographic and economic background, and ethnic group gender, education, language ability, socioeconomic

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 32 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0386