Intra-cultural diversity in future orientation among Chinese adolescents: self-esteem as a moderator

Future orientation is considered as a significant antecedent of adolescents’ health and positive psychosocial outcomes across adolescence and adulthood. While extensive research has explored the influence of culture on predicting future orientation, individual differences within the same country remain under-examined, particularly in China. Following the construal level theory and self-regulation theory, this study explores intra-cultural variations in future orientation by examining the association between future orientation and self-construal, and the moderating effect of self-esteem on this relationship. Using a sample of 683 Chinese adolescents (48.61% girls; Mage = 15.04), this study shows that individuals with independent self-construal have a lower future orientation score than those with interdependent self-construal. Self-esteem positively predicts future orientation and moderates the relationship between self-construal and future orientation, even after controlling for individual and family- level covariates. These findings enrich our understanding of the intricate interplay between cultural influences and temporality development and underscore the potential for targeted intervention programs.