Youth are the future of Hong Kong. The further development of Hong Kong greatly depends on the extent of the participation of its youth.  It is therefore important that the HKSAR Government asks them to express their views and enhance their participation.

         The HKSAR Government has claimed that it recognises the importance of paying close attention to public opinion in formulating policies.  However, the position of the HKSAR Government over some current issues such as the enactment of legislation under Basic Law Article 23, keeping pets in public housing estates, polling hours during District Council elections and the reclamation project in Central have aroused a lot of controversy.  As a result, the HKSAR Government is in a dilemma and the issue of their response to public opinion is one of widespread concern.

        How do Hong Kong youth and the population in general view the collection of public opinion in Hong Kong and the way in which it is reflected in government policy?  Is there any obstacle to communication between the HKSAR Government and the public?  Is there any problem in the way the HKSAR Government processes public opinion?  To what extent does the HKSAR Government’s grasp public opinion?

        These questions have been addressed in this study through (1) opinion survey conducted among Hong Kong people; (2) interviews with scholars and specialists; and (3) youth focused group discussions. It is hoped that the study will provide a clearer picture of the issues and will result in suggestions and recommendations for a better assessment of public opinion.

        The survey was conducted from 2 to 14 October 2003.  By means of random sampling, 1,017 Hong Kong people aged 15 or above, were successfully polled, yielding a response rate of 33.0% with a standard error of ± 1.6%.  To avoid uneven age distribution, a weighting method to adjust the proportion of respondents’ ages to keep them in line with the age proportion in the 2001 Census was adopted.  For the sake of comparison, the survey categorizes respondents into two age groups, youth (aged 15 to 24) and adults (aged 25 or above).

        A total of 15 scholars and experts were interviewed between August and September 2003. Meanwhile, 3 youth focused group discussions were conducted with a total of 16 young people comprising 11 males and 5 females aged between 16 and 30.

The major findings are as follows:

1.     Both youth and adults believed that the HKSAR Government did not listen to public opinion. In comparing the two age groups, younger respondents were more positive than their older counterparts.

2.     Both youth and adults surveyed thought that the HKSAR Government had not established adequate channels for gauging the views of the public.

3.     Both youth and adults said the public’s views were not well enough represented by members of Advisory Bodies.

4.     Both youth and adults claimed that professionals and professional bodies were more representative of public opinion.

5.     Both youth and adults believed that members of the public were willing to express their views on Government policy but that they rarely did so.

6.     Both youth and adults said that the public criticized Government policy without offering constructive suggestions.

7.     Both youth and adults thought the HKSAR Government lacked in transparency in the processing of public opinion. Comparatively, the younger age group was less pessimistic.

8.     Both youth and adults claimed that the HKSAR Government had failed to grasp the public’s points of view. Younger respondents believed that the opinion of the People's Republic of China had great influence on the HKSAR Government, whereas older respondents thought tycoons were more influential.

9.     Both youth and adults thought the HKSAR Government should open channels for opinion and listen to people who held different views in order to collect public opinion more effectively.

        In short, the results of the Survey showed that even though youth were more positive than adults, the former believed that Government Officers did not go out of their way to listen to public opinion; the Government did not care about collecting public or young people's views; and did not establish enough channels for gauging these views.  Regarding the reflection and processing of public opinion, youth thought that the members of Advisory Bodies were not representative enough of public opinion and claimed that professionals were more representative.  Moreover, they thought that the HKSAR Government lacked transparency in its processing of public opinion and said that the HKSAR Government had failed to grasp public opinion.  The HKSAR Government should face up to these problems in order to regain the support of the public.

        Some experts / scholars interviewed and the respondents in the youth focused group discussions claimed that the HKSAR Government had established a mechanism to gauge public views.  However, where processing public opinion was concerned some experts / scholars pointed out that the extent to which the HKSAR Government paid close to public opinion, whether or not the Advisory Bodies incorporated different views, involved them hearing only what they wanted to hear.  They also said that during the decision making process the HKSAR Government responded only to views expressed by those in power who were not representative of the public as a whole.  It is therefore important for the HKSAR Government to enhance its communication with the public in order to regain support and confidence.

  -End-

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