Hong Kong people becoming more politically moderate, survey by think tank Path of Democracy finds

More Hongkongers are adopting the political middle ground, with about 40 per cent identifying themselves as moderates, according to a survey conducted by the Path of Democracy think tank.

The findings show that the level of support for the pan-democratic and pro-establishment camps may no longer be at a ratio of 6:4 as traditionally thought, as there may be now a larger proportion of moderates, according to the group's convenor, Ronny Tong Ka-wah.

The Path of Democracy commissioned the University of Hong Kong's public opinion programme and interviewed 1,010 Hongkongers by telephone between October 12 and 17. While 41.9 per cent said they were of the middle ground, 28.4 per cent identified themselves as supporting the pan-democrats, with 11.4 per cent saying they backed the pro-establishment camp.

About 60 per cent said it was necessary to promote a political culture of "mutual respect"; some 53.6 per cent of interviewees felt it was necessary to communicate with Beijing.

"The findings are a bit surprising to me," said Tong. "Is it because pro-establishment supporters have switched to the middle ground after the failure of political reform? Or those in the middle ground have no choice in elections but to cast the votes for pan-democrats? These are questions we need to find answers to."

Tong, who resigned as a lawmaker and quit the Civic Party to advocate a moderate route, said the results were "encouraging", although his group would not field any candidate in the by-election to fill the Legislative Council seat he vacated.