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Author	Prof Peng Wang
Organisation/Institution	The University of Hong Kong, Department of Sociology
Country	HONG KONG (SAR OF CHINA)
Panel	Law and Society
Title	China’s Lost Generation: Strains, Negative Emotions and Online Gambling Addiction
Abstract	Chinese young people face intense strains arising from the tension between family and societal expectations of monetary success and middle- to upper-class status, and the limited opportunities to fulfill these expectations, particularly in the post-pandemic context. Drawing on rich empirical data collected from regular online gamblers, this article provides a qualitative analysis of how the young generation in China perceives and responds to these strains. It argues that online gambling has become a major deviant response to such pressures, as young people derive thrill, excitement, peer recognition, and a sense of imagined monetary success through gambling activities. However, their addiction to online gambling devastates family finances and intergenerational relationships, leading many Chinese families to experience both financial and relational collapse. This research contributes to understanding online gambling, the strains confronting China’s young generation, and the dynamics of China’s rapidly changing society.
Biography	Peng Wang is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, the University of Hong Kong (HKU). He holds a PhD in Law and an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice from King’s College London. His research focuses on organized crime, corruption, police and policing, informal institutions, prisons, and China studies. He is the author of The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-legal Protection (Oxford University Press, 2017) and Extralegal Governance: The Social Order of Illegal Markets in China (coauthored with Wanlin Lin, Cambridge University Press, 2025). His recent articles appeared in journals such as The British Journal of Criminology, World Development, Comparative Education, The Sociological Review, and The China Quarterly.