Half of Hongkongers oppose Occupy Central's campaign for universal suffrage
Victor Zheng, Fanny Cheung and Po-san Wan assess the findings of a survey on the Occupy Central campaign, which reflect concerns that its disruptive actions might inflame social conflicts
Benny Tai Yiu-ting’s Occupy Central campaign has provoked heated discussions among the local community.
Supporters of the movement are confident the campaign will aid the struggle for universal suffrage, and even enhance civil society in Hong Kong and raise awareness of the rule of law. (In Tai’s words, rise from “needing to adhere to the law” to “achieving righteousness with the law”.)
Opponents, however, feel that the campaign undermines the rule of law and could even shake the economic and financial foundations of Hong Kong.
But how does the Hong Kong public assess the possible benefits and dangers of the campaign?
A telephone survey of 1,004 people conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at the Chinese University, from May 30 to June 5 this year, before the movement’s first deliberation day, may shed some light on the question.
A majority of people surveyed were pessimistic both about the campaign’s ability to forge consensus, and about its ability to get the central government to accept a universal suffrage plan
Firstly, do Hong Kong people support the campaign? Nearly half of those surveyed said they did not support the campaign or were strongly opposed to it, while 77.5 per cent of people said they would not or probably would not take part in it. About a quarter said they supported or strongly supported the campaign, while only a 7.3 per cent said they would or probably would take part it in.
