HKU POP SITE releases latest findings of people's appraisal of society's current conditions and their ethnic identityBack


Press Release on June 15, 2005
 

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 findings of people's appraisal of society's current conditions and their ethnic identity. As a general practice, our figures have been weighted according to the gender-age distribution of the Hong Kong population obtained from the 2001 Population Census. Recent figures of people's appraisal of society's current conditions are first summarized as follows:

 
 Date of survey 7-11/6/04 13-15/9/04 6-9/12/04 14-17/3/05 6-8/6/05 Latest change
 Sample base 1,027 1,023 1,007 1,017 1,029 --
 Overall response rate 66.9% 64.4% 67.8% 63.5% 66.0% --
 Sampling error of ratings(at 95% conf. level)* -- -- -- +/- 0.14 @ +/- 0.14 @ --
 Sampling error of percentages (at 95% conf. level)* +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% --
 Most concerned with economic problems 63% 65% 59% 61% 61% --
 Most concerned with social problems 20% 21% 30% 21% 24% +3%
 Most concerned with political problems 10% 8% 6% 10% 6% -4%
 Rating on concern for economic problems -- -- -- 7.33 7.16 -0.17
 Rating on concern for social problems -- -- -- 6.92 6.89 -0.03
 Rating on concern for political problems -- -- -- 5.83 5.68 -0.15
 Current economic condition: Satisfaction rate** 16% 14% 12% 27% 26% -1%
 Current economic condition: Dissatisfaction rate** 55% 55% 49% 31% 34% +3%
 Current social condition: Satisfaction rate** 19% 28% 23% 33% 30% -3%
 Current social condition: Dissatisfaction rate** 45% 39% 38% 29% 33% +4%
 Current political condition: Satisfaction rate** 8% 17% 16% 21% 22% +1%
 Current political condition: Dissatisfaction rate** 60% 47% 42% 40% 36% -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.
** Collapsed from a 5-point scale.
@ Erratum: The error margins reported in the original release were miss-typed.

 

The survey conducted in early June showed that 61% of the respondents were most concerned with economic problems, 24% with social problems, while 6% attached their greatest concern to political problems. Using a scale of 0-10 marks, the ratings of people's concern over economic, social and political problems were 7.16, 6.89 and 5.68 marks correspondingly. Meanwhile, people's dissatisfaction rates with the current economic, social and political conditions were 34%, 33% and 36% in respective order.

 

Recent figures on people's ethnic identity are summarized as follows:

 
 Date of survey 13-18/6/03 10-14/12/03 7-11/6/04 6-9/12/04 6-8/6/05 Latest change
 Sample base 1,043 1,059 1,027 1,007 1,029 --
 Overall response rate 68.0% 63.5% 66.9% 67.8% 66.0% --
 Sampling error of percentages (at 95% conf. level)* +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% +/- 3% --
 Sampling error of ratings (at 95% conf. level)*  +/- 0.14 +/- 0.14 +/- 0.16 +/- 0.16 +/- 0.14 --
 Identified themselves as "Hong Kong Citizens" 37% 25% 28% 26% 24% -2%
 Identified themselves as "Chinese Citizens" 29% 33% 33% 32% 36% +4%
 Identified themselves as "Hong Kong People" in broad sense 56% 48% 49% 49% 45% -4%
 Identified themselves as "Chinese People" in broad sense 41% 48% 47% 48% 51% +3%
 Rating of strength of "Hong Kong Citizens" identity 7.57 7.41 7.54 7.54 7.77 +0.23
 Rating of strength of "Chinese Citizens" identity 7.32 7.52 7.48 7.47 7.56 +0.09

* "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 asked to make a choice among 4 given identities, namely, "Hong Kong Citizen", "Chinese Hong Kong Citizen", "Chinese Citizen" and "Hong Kong Chinese Citizen", 24% of the respondents identified themselves as "Hong Kong Citizens", 36% as "Chinese Citizens", 21% as "Chinese Hong Kong Citizens", while 15% identified themselves as "Hong Kong Chinese Citizens". In other words, 45% of the respondents identified themselves as "Hong Kong People" in the broader sense (i.e. either as "Hong Kong Citizens" or "Chinese Hong Kong Citizens"), whereas another 51% identified themselves as "Chinese People" in the broader sense (i.e. either as "Chinese Citizens" or "Hong Kong Chinese Citizens").

 

Because concepts of "Hong Kong Citizen", "Chinese Hong Kong Citizen", "Chinese Citizen" and "Hong Kong Chinese Citizen" may overlap with each other, and making a one-in-four choice may not reflect the actual strengths of one's ethnic identities, POP has therefore conducted parallel tests on the strengths of people's separate identities as "Hong Kong Citizens" and "Chinese Citizens" using a scale of 0-10. The latest ratings registered in early June for "Hong Kong Citizens" and "Chinese Citizens" were 7.77 and 7.56 marks respectively.

 

Robert Ting-Yiu Chung, Director of Public Opinion Programme, observed, "Over the past three months, people's dissatisfaction with Hong Kong's economic and social conditions have mildly rebounded, while their dissatisfaction with the political condition has gone down a bit. Negative appraisal is dominant in all three aspects. Hong Kong society has not yet recovered to that just after the handover. Regarding Hong Kong people's ethnic identity, although more and more people have identified themselves as ethnical Chinese, the strength of their 'Hongkonger' identity is relatively stronger."

 

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 will be June 21, 2005, Tuesday, at 2 pm, the latest figures of people's opinions towards Taiwan issues will be released.

 

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.