Gang Involvement

Ngai, N.P., & Cheung, C.K. (2004). Marginal Youth’s Subcultural Factors

Marginal Youth’s Subcultural Factors Underlying Their Gang Involvement: A Comparative
Study in Three Chinese Metropolitan Cities*

Ngan-pun Ngai, Ph.D., Chau-kiu Cheung, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT
Marginal youth tend to form stronger subcultural values when they engage more frequently in gang activity, which also make a difference in their delinquent involvement. The subculture would in turn bolster their subsequent gang participation. Different subcultural values appear to arise differently from gang involvement in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and
Shanghai, according to a survey of 825 marginal youths in the three cities. Moreover, different subcultural values demonstrated differential effects on the marginal youths’ expected gang involvement. The pattern of relationships between subcultural values and gang participation reveals a predatory subculture in gangs in Hong Kong, a hedonist subculture in gangs in Guangzhou, and an instrumental subculture in gangs in Shanghai. Specifically, gangs in Hong Kong show a predatory subculture of antagonism and masculinity; gangs in
Guangzhou manifest a hedonist subculture of low self-control and young age; and gangs in
Shanghai portray an instrumental subculture of high self-control and education. In all cases, inadequate moral belief is a social control factor impeding the marginal youth’s gang activity.

*

Modified from a paper presented on Nov 28, 2003, in the International Conference on Working with Youth in a
Rapidly Changing World
1

Ngai, N.P., & Cheung, C.K. (2004). Marginal Youth’s Subcultural Factors

Young gangs are groups of juvenile delinquents characterized by violence, higher risk of delinquency as well as vulnerability (Dukes & Stein, 2003; Hill et al., 1999; Li et al., 2003).
There has been robust evidence demonstrating the association between gang involvement and delinquency (Yoder, Whitbeck, & Hoyt, 2003; Esbensen,

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