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Legislatorswill show their votes to the Budget today. A territory-wide survey conducted bythe Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups found that among the various measures thatoffered special relief for the community, the 10% rebate on salaries tax, profits tax andproperty tax to taxpayers was the most helpful to young people. However, the surveyexpressed doubt over its effectiveness as a means to boost consumer confidence. When askedhow would they spend the rebate, half of the respondents said that they would save it all. Only 23 per cent said that they would spend themoney.
The survey found that young people gave anaverage of 6.4 marks to the Budget on a 0-10 point-scale. Among the main areas covered inthe Budget, proposals related to developing industries, technology and informationservices secured the highest marks, whereas those related to tackling unemployment scoredthe lowest marks.
Thirty-seven per cent of respondents saidthat their support for the SAR Government had increased since the Budget was delivered.Around 20 per cent of respondents, however, said otherwise. Slightly more than 40 per centof the respondents said that their support for the Government remained unchanged. Thefindings suggested that youth? support for the Government had increased with caution.
When asked with which part of the Budgetthey were most disappointed, the largest number of the respondents said it was the failureto improve the recent unemployment. Although the Financial Secretary said that the variouslarge-scale projects proposed in the Budget would generate plenty of jobs in the market,the survey found that it did little to revive the youth? confidence for employmentprospects. Twelve per cent of respondents expressed concern about their prospects ofgetting jobs.
Slightly more than 40 per cent of youngpeople were optimistic about Hong Kong's long term economic development. However, theywere conservative in forecasting an improvement for their family's living standard, with28.4 per cent of young people anticipating worsening conditions. 50 per cent said that thesituation would remain the same.
Slightly more than 70 per cent of therespondents gave thumbs up to the proposal of inviting the private sector to participatein providing pubic services.
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groupsconducted this telephone survey from 4 to 12 and 16 March 1999, following the presentationof the Budget by the Financial Secretary. A total of 448 young people, aged 18 to 29, weresuccessfully interviewed. The survey found that more than 60 per cent of young people wereof the view that the Government should keep on increasing the amount of public expendituredespite the recent gloomy economy.
Jacky Pang, the senior research officer ofthe Federation, said that the series of large-scale proposals covered in the Budget hadhelped to revitalize youth's long term confidence in Hong Kong's economy. In the shortrun, young people, however, were not too optimistic about their personal economicsituations. Most young people had a cautious view in seeing an improvement in their family'sliving standard in the next twelve months. Half of the respondents said that they wouldsave all the money if given a tax rebate. All this suggested that young people did nothave a strong confidence in Hong Kong's short-term economic performance.
Pang went on to say that young people wereof the view that the Government should strengthen its economic activities. More than 60per cent of young people were of the view that the Government should keep on increasingthe amount of public expenditure despite the recent gloomy economy. Another 72 per cent ofthem approved of the proposal to inviting the private sector to participate in providingpubic services. All this suggested that young people were eager to see more activitiesthat would enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of Hong Kong's economy.
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Youth Opinion Polls No. 64
