Multicultural Integration of Urban International Communities in the Innovation Ecosystem

Abstract

Purpose. This article aims to bring the issue of multicultural integration of urban international community into the perspective of innovation ecosystem. Combined with theory, it probes into the relationship between multicultural integration and innovation ecosystem. The study, based on in-depth questionnaire and document analysis, examines the status quo of foreign residents’ participation in local social and cultural life from the measurement of identity, cultural differences, values, ideologies etc., and the obstacles encountered with the focus of spirit, material, and management. Design/Methodology/Approach. This study adopts the data sampling methods of purview sampling and snowball sampling to investigate cultural integration from two dimensions of sociocultural (behavioral) integration and psychological (emotional/affective) integration. The scale adopts the 4-point score of Likert formula and uses the mean coefficient (the average score of each item) to judge the difficulty of psychological integration of foreign residents. Findings. First, the social and cultural integration perceived by foreign residents is at a medium level. The conflicts of values, the differences of social and cultural systems, identity, and language ability are the main obstacles and difficulties in the multicultural integration of foreign residents. Second, at the psychological level, many foreign residents conducting the survey did not have too much psychological pressure, most of them could regulate their emotions by themselves, but the problem of psychological integration still exists; therefore, relevant effective intervention is needed. Third, foreign residents’ views on the social and cultural environment of their communities affect multicultural integration and stability of their communities. Practical Implications. This study helps understand the factors affecting multicultural integration in international community, which will be helpful for the researcher to understand more about the current issue of multicultural integration in international community and for the relevant department to adopt suitable policy and measurements to facilitate multicultural integration in international community.