Troubling Citizenship Education: National Security Education for University Students in China’s Hong Kong

Since 2020, universities in Hong Kong have been legally required to implement National Security Education (NSE). This study presents the first cross-institutional investigation into how undergraduate students experienced NSE and its impact on civic values. Data were collected through surveys and focus group interviews conducted across 11 higher education institutions, including both government-funded and non-government-funded universities. Quantitative analysis revealed that students’ development of civic values within the NSE is significantly mediated by their perceptions of a supportive learning climate. Students’ family incomes and parents’ educational attainment, however, exerted contrasting direct and indirect effects on their civic values development. These findings are supplemented by qualitative analysis that captured students’ voice regarding their citizenship experiences through NSE. Collectively, the results indicate that NSE is providing opportunities for students to understand more about the nation but with differential results depending on the background of the students and prior life experiences. This study offers an understanding of NSE as a form of citizenship education, students’ reactions to it and the complexities raised by a diverse student sample. It contributes theoretically by expanding notions of citizenship education in the contemporary world and the challenges it faces.