HKU POP SITE releases figures of people's satisfaction with the performance of the Legislative Council members in general, the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong garrison and the Hong Kong Police ForceBack


Press Release on November 2, 2004
 

The Public Opinion Programme (POP) at the University of Hong Kong today releases on schedule via the "HKU POP SITE" (http://hkupop.pori.hk) the latest figures of people's satisfaction with the performance of the newly elected Legislative Council members in general, the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong garrison (PLA) and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF). Recent figures are summarized as follows:

 
 Date of survey 26-29/1 19-22/4 26-29/7 18-21/10 Latest Change
 Sample base 1,056 1,029 1,005 1,011 --
 Overall response rate 65.4% 61.1% 60.6% 63.3% --
 Sampling error of percentages (at 95% conf. level)* +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% --
 Overall performance of Legco members: Satisfaction rate** 14% 15% 16% 24% +8%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Dissatisfaction rate** 31% 39% 35% 25% -10%
 Satisfaction rate of PLA** 54% 56% 60% 71% +11%
 Dissatisfaction rate of PLA** 3% 5% 3% 2% -1%
 Satisfaction rate of HKPF** 75% 64% 71% 79% +8%
 Dissatisfaction rate of HKPF** 5% 12% 7% 5% -2%

* "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.
** Collapsed from a 5-point scale.

 

Results of survey conducted in late October revealed that 25% of the respondents were dissatisfied with the overall performance of the newly elected LegCo members, while 24% were satisfied. Besides, 71% were satisfied with the performance of the PLA stationed in Hong Kong, while only 2% were dissatisfied. As for the performance of the HKPF, 79% were satisfied and 5% were dissatisfied.

 

Regarding the people's satisfaction with the performance of the Legco members in general, since this is the first release concerning the third term of the Legco, the POP Team has listed out the figures together with the first and last data points of the last two terms of the Legco, to facilitate further analysis:

 
 Date of survey First session
First data points
14/7/98		 First session
Last data points
6-11/7/00		 Second session
First data points
14-16/11/00		 Second session
Last data points
26-29/7/04		 Third session
First data points
18-21/10/04
 Sample base 542 1,058 1,038 1,005 1,011
 Overall response rate 44.5% 53.3% 47.2% 60.6% 63.3%
 Sampling error of percentages (at 95% conf. level)* +/- 4% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Very satisfied <1% <1% <1% 1% 1%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Quite satisfied 26% 22% 18% 15% 24%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Half-Half 20% 30% 33% 34% 29%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Quite dissatisfied 15% 19% 15% 25% 18%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Very dissatisfied 1% 5% 3% 9% 7%
 Overall performance of Legco members:Don't know/Hard to say 37% 24% 31% 15% 22%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Satisfaction rate** 27% 22% 18% 16% 24%
 Overall performance of Legco members: Dissatisfaction rate** 17% 24% 18% 35% 25%

* "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.
** Satisfaction rate = Very satisfied + Quite satisfied, Dissatisfaction rate = Quite dissatisfied + Very dissatisfied.

 

Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme, analyzed, "There are four points to note in our latest findings. First, all satisfaction rates have increased, probably due to the relatively mild political climate. Second, people's satisfaction with the PLA Hong Kong garrison has accumulated an increase of 17 percentage points this year, probably due to its more frequent contacts with the general public. Third, people's satisfaction with the Hong Kong Police Force continued to increase, almost to its record high registered in May 2003. Fourth, people's satisfaction with Legco members on the whole remains low, but is already better than those at the beginning and end of the last Council. It is now quite near to that at the beginning of the First Council. It should be noted, however, that Legco members on the whole refers to members returned by geographical as well as functional constituencies. The popularity rating of individual Legco members will be released in POP's 'Top 10 Legislative Councillors' survey series."

 

POP's normal practice is to release the results of our regular surveys every Tuesday at 2 pm via our POP Site, except during public holidays, each time with a forecast of the items to be released in the forthcoming week. We will review and adjust this operation regularly. The date and time of our next release of regular survey findings will be November 4, 2004, Thursday, at 2 pm, the latest figures on subjective social and legal indicators will be released, while the latest popularity figures of CE Tung Chee-Hwa and Principal Officials under the accountability system will be released on November 9, 2004, Tuesday, at 2 pm.

 

Shall anyone have any question regarding the research design of the surveys published in the POP Site, 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 us at <[email protected]>. The Director of Public Opinion Programme would answer them as soon as possible. We will keep such an arrangement under constant review, suggestions most welcome. Please note that everything carried in the POP Site 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 which represent the stand of their authors.