Perceived collective continuity and Chinese cultural identity among undergraduates at a Chinese university: a cross-sectional serial mediation analysis of awe in culture and collective self-continuity

Background Whether the association between awe in culture and Chinese cultural identity involves the temporal self-connection afforded by group membership remains unclear. This study examined the association between perceived collective continuity and Chinese cultural identity, including specific and serial indirect effects through awe in culture and collective self-continuity. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,809 undergraduates at a single university in Xinjiang, China. Confirmatory factor analysis evaluated the measurement structure; direct and indirect effects were estimated by maximum-likelihood latent variable structural equation modeling, adjusting for gender, age group, and year of study. Bias-corrected percentile 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated from 5,000 bootstrap samples. An alternative-order model reversed the ordering of the two mediators. Results In the primary model, the standardized total effect of perceived collective continuity on Chinese cultural identity was 0.612 (95% CI [0.5497, 0.6754]), and the standardized direct effect after including both mediators was 0.318 (95% CI [0.2306, 0.4048]). The specific standardized indirect effects through awe in culture and collective self-continuity were 0.147 (95% CI [0.1076, 0.1909]) and 0.085 (95% CI [0.0564, 0.1179]), respectively. The standardized serial indirect effect through awe in culture followed by collective self-continuity was 0.062 (95% CI [0.0450, 0.0833]). All three indirect effects were positive, and none of their CIs included zero. The primary and alternative-order models were covariance-equivalent; their global fit could not distinguish the mediator orderings. Conclusion The findings highlight the temporal self-connection afforded by group membership as a possible link between a general tendency toward cultural awe and Chinese cultural identity. Potential applications in university cultural education require direct evaluation. Given the single-university, cross-sectional design, the findings indicate statistical associations and indirect effects only and do not establish temporal ordering or causal mechanisms.