POP Site From the Editor - Hong Kong in the DarkBack
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The year 2002 was hard to endure, and there is still no light from the other side of the tunnel. |
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According to one of our own surveys, almost two-thirds of our people are not happy with Hong Kong's development in the year past, topping the record set in 1998. As an opinion researcher whose empathy goes with the public, the author could not help feeling miserable himself. |
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May be the tide will turn, or may be it was just wishful thinking, over 40% of the people expected a better Hong Kong in the year to come. History will tell. We opinion researchers can only do our best to guard our post, to say what is and what is not. |
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The Public Opinion Programme (POP) at the University of Hong Kong was established in June 1991, almost one duodecimal cycle ago according to Chinese counting. There were no doubt many stormy days in the past 12 years, the author was himself a first person witness to an important episode in the post-handover history of Hong Kong. |
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This POP Site was set up in June 2000 to disseminate our research findings directly to those interested. In January 2002, the POP Site was re-designed for the first time to include many more items. From then to now, the number of regular POP Polls carried in the Site has increased from 24 to 33, in addition to another 8 items in the archive. Meanwhile, the number of on-line research reports has also increased from 5 to 9, and is still rapidly increasing. |
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On January 1, 2003, the POP Site was again re-designed. Other than adding new items, the page design of the Site was also revised. They will keep evolving, and with the inclusion of commentaries in due course, the Site will become an all-round place for those interested in public opinion. |
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The most significant change for the author himself, however, is the re-appearance of the editor's column, which has basically stopped after the publication of the August 1999 Issue of our "POP Express" (please see "'From the Editor' Collection" in the "Archive" Section in this POP Site). |
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The author wrote in the Foreword of the "POP Express Combined Volume" No. 3, "Before the handover, our POP Team has vowed to guard our post amidst the ever-changing political storm… We will stand firm on our current position, and continue to safeguard our academic and research freedom. Intellectual integrity shall continue to be our guide." Our determination has never changed. |
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Robert Ting-Yiu Chung |
