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Hongkongers feel less 'Chinese', more 'Hong Kong' as tensions with Beijing rise

Poll finds locals lukewarm on identifying with mainland amid growing sense of local pride

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Dr Robert Chung Ting-yiu. Photo: May Tse

Hongkongers' sense of Chinese identity has fallen to a 14-year low, a poll revealed yesterday.

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The survey, carried out under the University of Hong Kong's Popular Opinion Programme, also found that nearly four in 10 respondents described themselves distinctly as "Hongkongers", a rise of 11 percentage points from last December, and showed a cooling of sentiment towards the mainland in recent months.

The twice-yearly poll asked 1,055 Hongkongers to rate how strongly they associated themselves with a range of identities - including Hongkongers, Chinese, Asians and "global citizens" - on a scale of 1 to 10.

Respondents' average connection with the Hongkonger identity was the highest, at 8.13 points, despite being 0.3 points lower than six months ago. The Chinese identity scored an average of 6.80 points - 0.67 points lower than in December and just a whisker above June 1999's record low.

The 1999 survey was completed amid an intense debate over the city's judicial independence, triggered by the local government's decision to seek Beijing's interpretation of the Basic Law over right of abode matters.

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In the latest survey, respondents were also asked to choose which of four identities they most preferred - Hongkonger, Chinese, Chinese Hongkonger or Hong Kong Chinese.

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