Background Information of"Joint Project on Regular Opinion Surveys in Macau"Back

1.

Since 1992, the Public Opinion Programme (POP) at the University of Hong Kong has been conducting a series of studies in Macau, in order to map its changing public sentiment. Many surveys have been completed in the past 10 years, with election polls and opinion surveys as the major items. After the respective handovers of Hong Kong and Macau in 1997 and 1999, the public mood of these two societies have become closely connected. There is an increasing need to conduct more in-depth and more frequent opinion surveys in Macau. In view of this, POP and the Union For Construction Of Macau and the Macau Association Of New Generation have reached an agreement by mid-2003, to embark on a "Joint Project on Regular Opinion Surveys in Macau". This project will initially last for one year, which aims at establishing a scientific mechanism to conduct opinion surveys in Macau, reinforcing the channels for collecting public opinion, fostering the development of opinion surveys in Macau, as well as providing scientific opinion data for comparative studies between Hong Kong and Macau.

2.

The "Joint Project on Regular Opinion Surveys in Macau" will focus on current government policies, constitutional and social issues facing Macau people, and will be conducted at least once in two months, meaning at least six polls per year. POP has the final say in designing the questionnaire and the research method, and will bear the final responsibility.

3.

In terms of operation, all telephone interviewers will be employed by the Union For Construction Of Macau and the Macau Association Of New Generation, but POP will be responsible for their training and supervision. Interviews by random telephone surveys will be adopted, with computer facilities and venue provided by the Union For Construction Of Macau and the Macau Association Of New Generation. POP will provide all computer software and technical support, and will be responsible for the sampling design, data consolidation and statistical analysis.

4.

Survey findings of the "Joint Project on Regular Opinion Surveys in Macau" will be published concurrently in Macau and Hong Kong. Dr Fong Man-tat, representing the Union For Construction Of Macau and the Macau Association Of New Generation, is responsible for the Macau front, while POP will take charge of the Hong Kong release. POP will release the survey findings through POP Site and press releases. Shall anyone have any question regarding the research design of the survey, members of the POP Team will be happy to answer them, but we will not further comment on the findings. Shall any person or journalist have any other questions, please email them to <[email protected]> or <[email protected]>. We would answer them as soon as possible.