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Press Release on March 20, 2018

| Detailed Findings Rating of Top Ten Legislative Councillors|The Best Banks and Financial Services|

Special Announcements

1. From July 2017, apart from sampling landline numbers to conduct opinion surveys, the Public Opinion Programme (POP) of The University of Hong Kong has also added mobile numbers to the sampling frame. After three months of testing, in October 2017, POP formalized the use of mixed samples as its standard for regular opinion surveys. The figures released today by POP have already incorporated landline and mobile samples, while "effective response rate" is continued to be used to describe the survey's contact information. As for the weighting method, a two-step protocol is used. First, both the landline and mobile samples have been rim-weighted according to figures collected in the 2016 By-census regarding the gender-age distribution of the Hong Kong population and the 2017 educational attainment (highest level attended) distribution and economic activity status distribution obtained from the Census and Statistics Department. After that, the mobile sample was rim-weighted according to the basic Public Sentiment Index (PSI) figures collected in the landline sample, and then mixed together to produce the final results. This weighting method has proved to be feasible after three months of testing, but POP will continue to review and enhance it, and keep the public informed.

2. To facilitate academic study and rational discussion, POP has already released for public examination some time ago via the "HKU POP SITE" (http://hkupop.pori.hk) the raw data of regular rating surveys of current CE Carrie Lam, former CEs CH Tung, Donald Tsang and CY Leung, along with related demographics of respondents. Please follow normal academic standards when using or citing such data.

Abstract

POP conducted a two-stage survey in March on the "Best Banks and Financial Services Companies", and the results show that the most well-known bank was HSBC. Results of rating survey, however, show that Hang Seng Bank has the best CSR reputation in the sector, scoring 62.8 marks, followed by HSBC and Bank of China, with 60.6 and 57.4 marks respectively. POP interviewed 507 and 501 Hong Kong people by means of random telephone surveys for the first stage naming survey and second stage rating survey respectively. The sampling errors of rating figures are no greater than +/-1.9 marks at 95% confidence level. The response rate of the rating survey is 58%.

As for the top 10 Legislative Councillors, POP conducted a double stage survey on the ratings of Legislative Councillors in February and March, by means of random telephone surveys conducted by real interviewers. The survey conducted before the Legislative Council by-election shows that, compared to four months ago, in terms of familiarity, all Legislative Councillors who were in the "top 10" list last time remain in the list, with no new councillors entering the list. In terms of absolute ratings, out of all Councillors in the "top 10" list who were also rated last time, 2 have gone up, the remaining 8 have gone down. Among them, the rise in Eddie Chu and the drops in Chiang Lai-wan, Priscilla Leung and James To have gone beyond sampling errors, up by 4.9 and down by 3.2, 3.0 and 2.5 marks respectively, while James To's rating has even dropped to his record low since 2005. In terms of relative rankings, Michael Tien and Regina Yip continue to rank first and second. Eddie Chu goes up four positions to rank third. James To goes down one position to rank fourth. Starry Lee and Tanya Chan continue to rank fifth and sixth. Paul Tse goes down three positions to rank seventh. Claudia Mo, Priscilla Leung and Chiang Lai-wan remain in the same positions and rank eighth to tenth respectively. It should be noted however that our list of "top 10" only includes LegCo members who are best known to the public, ranked according to their support ratings. Some of the other councillors may well have very high or low support ratings, but because they are not the most well-known councillors, they do not appear on the "top 10" list by design. The maximum sampling error of the ratings registered is +/-2.4 marks at 95% confidence level, while the response rate of the rating survey is 65%.

Points to note:

[1] The address of the "HKU POP SITE" is http://hkupop.pori.hk, journalists can check out the details of the survey there.

[2] Because of sampling errors in conducting the survey(s) and the rounding procedures in processing the data, the figures cannot be too precise, and the totals may not be completely accurate. Therefore, when quoting percentages of the survey(s), journalists should refrain from reporting decimal places, but when quoting the rating figures, one decimal place can be used.

[3] The data of this survey is collected by means of random telephone interviews conducted by real interviewers, not by any interactive voice system (IVS). If a research organization uses "computerized random telephone survey" to camouflage its IVS operation, it should be considered unprofessional.

Ratings of the Best Banks and Financial Services Companies

[4] The sample size of the first stage naming survey is 507 successful interviews, not 507 x 62.6% response rate, while that of the second stage rating survey is 501 successful interviews, not 501 x 57.7% response rate. In the past, many media made this mistake.

[5] The maximum sampling errors of various ratings are not more than +/-1.9. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified. When quoting these figures, journalists can state "sampling errors of various ratings not more than +/-1.9 at 95% confidence level".

Ratings of Top 10 Legislative Councillors

[6] The sample size of the first stage naming survey is 1,017 successful interviews, not 1,017 x 63.6% response rate, while that of the second stage rating survey is 1,002 successful interviews, not 1,002 x 64.7% response rate. In the past, many media made this mistake.

[7] The maximum sampling errors of various ratings are not more than +/-2.4. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified. When quoting these figures, journalists can state "sampling errors of various ratings not more than +/-2.4 at 95% confidence level".

I. Ratings of the Best Banks and Financial Services Companies

In 2008, HKUPOP initiated a tracking survey series on Corporate Social Responsibility, aiming to gauge the public image of different commercial organizations in order to encourage them to become ethical companies and select the best corporations. There are a total of six modules under this survey series, namely, 1) Public Transportation, 2) Telecommunication, 3) Banks and Financial Services, 4) Real Estate and Property Development, 5) Retail, and 6) Fast Food Restaurant. From January to December 2015, the survey was sponsored by Metro Broadcast Corporation Ltd and branded as "Metro CSR Index". Results were released every month in the website of Metro Radio.

At the beginning, these surveys were conducted once every three months, with two different modules each time. From July 2017, the frequency was changed to once every six months, with one module only for each survey. The surveys were conducted in two stages. In the first stage, respondents were requested to nominate, unprompted, at most 5 corporations that they can think of. POP would then select from this list of unprompted nominees the 3 most frequently cited names for the next stage survey. During the second stage survey, respondents would be asked to rate the CSR performance for each of the shortlisted corporations using a 0-100 scale. 0 indicates extremely poor performance, 100 indicates extremely good performance, and 50 means half-half.

Latest Figures

From July 2017, POP enhanced the previous weighting method that has been used for quite a few years. Apart from age, gender and education, economic activity group is now also taken into account when adjusting data. The latest figures released today have been rim-weighted according to figures collected in the 2016 By-census regarding the gender-age distribution of the Hong Kong population and the 2017 educational attainment (highest level attended) distribution and economic activity status distribution obtained from the Census and Statistics Department. The mobile sample has also been rim-weighted according to the basic Public Sentiment Index (PSI) figures collected in the landline sample. Herewith the contact information for the latest surveys of the best banks and financial services companies under the Best Corporations series:

[8] Errors are calculated at 95% confidence level using full sample size. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified.

The research design of our "Best Corporation" rating survey has been explained in detail under "Survey Method" in our corresponding web page. The corporations being rated in our latest survey were those which obtained highest unprompted mentions in our first stage naming survey conducted in early March 2018. In the survey, respondents could name up to 5 local banks and financial services companies which they knew best. The top three corporations mentioned most frequently in the sector were: HSBC, Bank of China and Hang Seng Bank. These corporations then entered into the second stage rating survey conducted in the same month, respondents were asked to rate each short-listed corporations using a 0-100 scale. 0 indicates extremely poor performance, 100 indicates extremely good performance, and 50 means half-half.

Recent ratings of the best banks and financial services companies are summarized as follows:

* "Overall response rate" was used before September 2017, thereafter, "effective response rate" was used.

[9] The mobile sample was not included when survey results were released. The figures in the table above have been updated to reflect the results based on the combined landline and mobile sample. However, whether changes have gone beyond sampling errors is still determined based on the figures in the first release.

[10] All error figures in the table are calculated at 95% confidence level. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified. Media can state "sampling error of various ratings not more than +/-1.9 at 95% confidence level" when quoting the above figures. Numbers in square brackets { } indicates rankings. The error margin of previous survey can be found at the POP Site.

[11] Such changes have gone beyond the sampling errors at the 95% confidence level, meaning that they are statistically significant prima facie. However, whether numerical differences are statistically significant is not the same as whether they are practically useful or meaningful, and different weighting methods could have been applied in different surveys.

Our latest survey showed that Hang Seng Bank was considered as having the best CSR reputation among local banks and financial services companies, scored 62.8 marks, while HSBC and Bank of China scored 60.6 and 57.4 marks respectively.

II. Ratings of Top 10 Legislative Councillors

Latest Figures

POP today releases the latest popularity figures of the top ten Legislative Councillors. From July 2017, POP enhanced the previous weighting method that has been used for quite a few years. Apart from age, gender and education, economic activity group is now also taken into account when adjusting data. The latest figures released today have been rim-weighted according to figures collected in the 2016 By-census regarding the gender-age distribution of the Hong Kong population and the 2017 educational attainment (highest level attended) distribution and economic activity status distribution obtained from the Census and Statistics Department. The mobile sample has also been rim-weighted according to the basic Public Sentiment Index (PSI) figures collected in the landline sample. Herewith the contact information for the latest surveys:

[12] Errors are calculated at 95% confidence level using full sample size. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified.

The research design of our "Top 10 Legislative Councillors" has been explained in detail under "Survey Method" in our corresponding web page. The top councillors listed in our latest survey were all those who obtained the highest unprompted mentions in our first stage naming survey conducted from February 20 to 22. In that survey, respondents could name, unaided, up to 10 councillors whom they knew best. Starry Lee, Regina Ip, Tanya Chan, Alvin Yeung and James To were the top 5 councillors mentioned most frequently. Please refer to the relevant table for the rest of the list. Those 12 who were named most frequently then entered into the second stage rating survey. During the second stage rating survey conducted from March 1 to 6, respondents were asked to rate each legislator in turn using a 0-100 scale, where 0 indicates absolutely no support, 100 indicates absolute support, and 50 means half-half. After calculation, the bottom 2 legislators in terms of recognition rate were dropped; the remaining 10 were then ranked according to their support ratings attained to become the top 10 Legislative Councillors. For easy reference, the POP Site has already displayed the results of all naming surveys conducted since the year 1998. Recent ratings of top 10 Legislative Councillors are summarized below:

* "Overall response rate" was used before September 2017, thereafter, "effective response rate" was used.

[13] These questions only use sub-samples of the tracking surveys concerned, with variable sub-sample size for each question. In latest survey, the sub-sample size of the questions varies between 562 and 682, and its effect has already been reflected in the sampling errors.

[14] All error figures in the table are calculated at 95% confidence level. "95% confidence level" means that if we were to repeat a certain survey 100 times, using the same questions each time but with different random samples, we would expect 95 times getting a figure within the error margins specified. Media can state "sampling error of various ratings not more than +/-2.4 at 95% confidence level" when quoting the above figures. Numbers in square brackets { } indicates rankings. The error margin of previous survey can be found at the POP Site.

[15] Such changes have gone beyond the sampling errors at the 95% confidence level, meaning that they are statistically significant prima facie. However, whether numerical differences are statistically significant is not the same as whether they are practically useful or meaningful, and different weighting methods could have been applied in different surveys.

[16] Ratings with recognition rates not reaching top 10 in the rating stage of survey are not counted.

[17] Not a Legislative Councillor during the survey period.

The latest survey showed that Michael Tien was the most popularly supported councillor attaining 56.8 marks. Regina Ip and Eddie Chu ranked the 2nd and 3rd with 51.4 and 51.2 marks correspondingly. The 4th to 8th ranks went to James To, Starry Lee, Tanya Chan, Paul Tse and Claudia Mo who attained 48.9, 47.6, 46.8, 46.7 and 46.4 marks respectively. Priscilla Leung and Chiang Lai-wan ranked the 9th and 10th, attaining 40.2 and 36.8 marks respectively. The mean score obtained by the top 5 councillors was 51.2 marks, while that for the top 10 was 47.3 marks. For this latest survey, Alvin Yeung and Raymond Chan obtained support ratings of 51.1 and 42.9 marks respectively, but they were dropped due to their relatively low recognition rates. The overall ratings ranked according to results obtained over the past four surveys are tabulated as follows:

[18] "Average rating" is the average of all ratings obtained by Legislative Councillors over the past four surveys.

[19] "Overall ranking" is first determined by their number of times on top 10, and then their average ratings.

[20] Not a Legislative Councillor during the survey period.

The overall rankings in the past four surveys showed that seven Legislative Councillors have been on the list for four times. They are James To at the top rank achieving an average rating of 52.1 marks, Regina Ip, Eddie Chu, Tanya Chan, Starry Lee, Claudia Mo and Chiang Lai-wan who ranked the 2nd to 7th and attained 51.4, 50.5, 47.5, 46.7, 46.5 and 39.1 marks correspondingly. Michael Tien has been on the list for three times and ranked the 8th with 56.7 marks. Paul Tse, Priscilla Leung, Lau Siu-lai and Leung Kwok-hung have been on the list twice and ranked the 9th to 12th, with 47.6, 41.7, 39.5 and 37.0 marks correspondingly. Holden Chow has been on the list once and ranked the 13th with 36.6 marks.

Opinion Daily

In January 2007, POP opened a feature page called "Opinion Daily" at the "POP Site", to record significant events and selected polling figures on a day-to-day basis, in order to let readers judge by themselves the reasons for the ups and downs of different opinion figures. In July 2007, POP collaborated with Wisers Information Limited whereby Wisers supplies to POP each day starting from July 24, a record of significant events of that day, according to the research method designed by POP. These daily entries would be uploaded to "Opinion Daily" as soon as they are verified by POP.

For the polling items covered in this press release, the previous survey was conducted from November 14 to 16, 2017, while this survey was conducted from March 1 to 6, 2018. In between these two surveys, herewith the significant events selected from counting newspaper headlines and commentaries on a daily basis and covered by at least 25% of the local newspaper articles. Readers can make their own judgment if these significant events have any impacts to different polling figures.

Commentary

Note: The following commentary was written by Senior Data Analyst of POP, Edward Tai.

Our "Best Banks and Financial Services Companies" survey conducted in March shows that the most well-known bank was HSBC. Results of rating survey, however, show that Hang Seng Bank has the best CSR reputation in the sector, scoring 62.8 marks, followed by HSBC and Bank of China, with 60.6 and 57.4 marks respectively.

As for the top 10 Legislative Councillors, which was conducted before the Legislative Council by-election, the results show that compared to four months ago, in terms of familiarity, all Legislative Councillors who were in the "top 10" list last time remain in the list, with no new councillors entering the list. In terms of absolute ratings, out of all Councillors in the "top 10" list who were also rated last time, 2 have gone up, the remaining 8 have gone down. Among them, the rise in Eddie Chu and the drops in Chiang Lai-wan, Priscilla Leung and James To have gone beyond sampling errors, up by 4.9 and down by 3.2, 3.0 and 2.5 marks respectively, while James To's rating has even dropped to his record low since 2005. In terms of relative rankings, Michael Tien and Regina Yip continue to rank first and second. Eddie Chu goes up four positions to rank third. James To goes down one position to rank fourth. Starry Lee and Tanya Chan continue to rank fifth and sixth. Paul Tse goes down three positions to rank seventh. Claudia Mo, Priscilla Leung and Chiang Lai-wan remain in the same positions and rank eighth to tenth respectively. It should be noted however that our list of "top 10" only includes LegCo members who are best known to the public, ranked according to their support ratings. Some of the other councillors may well have very high or low support ratings, but because they are not the most well-known councillors, they do not appear on the "top 10" list by design. As for the reasons affecting the ups and downs of various figures, readers are welcome to make their own judgment using the detailed records displayed in our "Opinion Daily".

Future Release (Tentative)

March 27, 2018 (Tuesday) 12pm to 2pm: Popularity of CE and HKSAR Government,Second Budget follow-up survey

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Everything carried in this website does not represent the stand of the University of Hong Kong. Dr Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme, is responsible for everything posted herewith, except for column articles and messages posted at the opinion platforms. Any responsibility, legal and otherwise, arising from any such item shall vest entirely with its author. The intellectual property of all information contained in this website, including questionnaire design and research reports, originally belongs to HKU POP unless specified otherwise. HKU POP opens their copyright to the world via this website, but would request all users to acknowledge their source properly.

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Last update :  26/6/2019