Most young Hongkongers ‘don’t trust Beijing’

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68 per cent of young adults have doubts about central government

Joanne Ma |
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Hongkongers are most confident about the future of China.

About 70 per cent of Hongkongers aged between 18 and 29 do not trust Beijing, according to a report published on Tuesday. The poll by the Public Opinion Programme of the University of Hong Kong interviewed 1,030 people, in three different
age groups, from September 3 to 6 in a random telephone survey.

The survey covers people’s trust in the Hong Kong government, central government, and Taiwan’s government, as well as their confidence in the future of Hong Kong and China, and in the “one country, two systems” principle.

The survey shows that 68 per cent of Hongkongers aged between 18 and 29 distrust Beijing compared to only 20 per cent who trust it. Among this group, 60 per cent said they have no confidence in Hong Kong’s future. What’s more, 66 per cent have no confidence in “one country, two systems”, while 33 per cent remain confident; one per cent said they cannot be sure.

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In the age group of people 50 or older, more than half trust the central government and almost 60 per cent are confident in the “one country, two systems” principle. Among all respondents, the survey revealed that 51 per cent trust the Hong Kong government – an increase of six per cent since early July. Among this group, 40 per cent trust Beijing while 22 per cent trust the Taiwan government.

Among the three categories (18-29, 30-49, and 50 and older), the respondents’ confidence in the future of China is the highest, at 62 per cent, although this isa decrease of eight per cent since July.

The estimated maximum sampling error of all percentage figures is +/-4 percentage points.

“I have no confidence in ‘one country, two systems’ because the central government is already trying to impose controls on the city, which can be reflected in multiple incidents like building the high-speed railway station and the abduction of booksellers,” said Chan Yiu-yiu, a Form Six student at Hong Kong University Graduate Association College.

Edited by MJ Premaratne

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