Cultural Influence on Planned Alcohol Consumption: A Chinese Perspective on Self-View

Although alcohol consumption has negative influences on individuals' well-being, drinking holds a significant place in Chinese traditional culture. This study examined how Chinese culture, especially Chinese people's perceptions of their self-identity may be associated with intentions of alcohol consumption. Adopting the perspective of self-views and the theory of planned behaviors as two theoretical frameworks, this study conducted a cross-sectional online survey (n = 869) to examine how individual- and social-oriented self would predict intentions to drink through the mediation of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. For dimensions of the individual-oriented self, this study found that the independence dimension was positively associated with attitude and perceived behavior control. For dimensions of the social-oriented self, the self-cultivation and social sensitivity dimensions positively predicted subjective norms. Self-view also affected intentions of alcohol consumption through attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This study offers a cultural perspective to understand the theory of planned behavior and shows that aspects of cultural identity are influential in alcohol consumption.