Kinship structure in contemporary China: Analysis based on covariation in perceived trustworthiness across kinship roles

This study investigates the cultural representation of kinship structure in contemporary China, as an analytical lens for understanding family organization and evaluating how social transformations interact with enduring normative traditions. Using data from the Traditional Culture and Cognitive Pattern Survey (TCCPS), we analyze respondents' trust assessments across 15 family roles to construct a family-role network. We then apply network partitioning algorithms to identify latent kinship clusters and fit exponential random graph models (ERGMs) to investigate the extent to which different principles of relatedness are embedded in this structure. The findings reveal a three-cluster configuration, composed of (1) spouses and children, (2) parents and grandparents, and (3) siblings, cousins, and in-laws. Systematic differences in the reported trust scores across these clusters are consistent with Xiaotong Fei's classic idea of the differential mode of association. Subsequent analyses further demonstrate that this configuration is significantly structured by orientations toward direct kinship and nuclear-family affiliation, instead of conventional patrilineal order or traditional mourning-based classificatory norms. Substantial heterogeneity is observed across demographic and socioeconomic subsamples, indicating that kinship representations remain socially differentiated. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence that kinship boundary work constitutes a central organizing feature of contemporary Chinese family culture, which prioritizes nuclear and direct-kin intimacy over lineage-based principles.