Migrants leave their country of origin for many reasons, while a significant number will retain contact with their country of origin. This study focuses upon one migrant community: the UK Chinese community. Through questionnaires and in-depth interviews the study will explore the nature and extent of family and social networks both within and external to the Chinese community in the UK, and the nature and extent of any connections with families or communities in Hong Kong. Members of these family and social networks in Hong Kong will be interviewed to establish a full picture of the links between the Chinese community in the UK, and the Chinese living in Hong Kong. It is anticipated that this study will result in an improved understanding of the nature and inter-connectedness of informal relationships between the Chinese community in Hong Kong and the UK, and how these relationships impact upon the use of health and social care. This understanding, developed in partnership with the community, will be shared with the Chinese community and will assist NGOs within the UK Chinese community to respond to the challenges of migration and transnationalism.

Sample A sample of 272 (proposed N = 250) Hong Kong Chinese living the UK (predominantly in Manchester and London), aged15 to 91 years (M = 46.55; SD = 18.53) of whom 56% female were recruited via UK Chinese social and community organisations. Chinese religious, business and social organisations were invited to become recruitment sites. Organisations were contacted by phone, email, letter, or in person by a member of the research team. Instrument Respondents self-completed (some older respondents had assistance) a16-page questionnaire, available in English and Traditional Chinese. The instrument contained scales measuring bicultural identity (Ng & Lai, 2011), social network (Lubben Social Network Scale-18 (LSNS-18), methods of social contacts) engagement with health care service (GHQ, Thematic household survey, U.K.), engagement with social service (Thematic household survey, U.K.), attitudes (Census U.K.), subjective norms and behavioural control on health care and social services service (Ajzen, 2002) Constructing a TPB Questionnaire), opinions about health care and social service (Questionnaire for people who use social services, Wales), sense of community (Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2). All scales constructed for the project have satisfactory reliabilities exceeding 0.70. Demographic data was collected. The instrument was piloted on 30 UK Chinese prior to full implementation. Interviews Individual face-to-face interviews in the UK, some in English and some in Cantonese, were conducted, with a subset of the sample, comprising first generation migrants (71: proposed N = 64). Lay researchers, recruited through Chinese community organisations, were given training and conducted approximately half of these interviews. Interview data provided in-depth information about the extent of usage of formal and informal structures for UK health and social care and social networks with family and friends in Hong Kong. Interviewees nominated one friend or family member in Hong Kong who would be willing to be interviewed. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted with UK interviewee’s friends and relatives in Hong Kong (67: proposed N = 64) to provide their perspective on the nature of the social contact and support they provided to the interviewee in the UK.