About 80 percent of Hong Kongers said that pro-democracy protests in the territory led them to think that the “one country, two systems” framework is not feasible, the results of a poll released yesterday showed.
A total of 93.6 percent said that if the protests are not effective, it would mean the “one country, two systems” formula had failed.
Chinese University of Hong Kong professor Francis Lee (李立峯) announced in Taipei the results of the survey he and a team of researchers conducted about the “one country, two systems” formula.
Photo: CNA
Lee and other academics at the university’s Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey conducted interviews by telephone and on location during the protests.
The survey, which was the latest of several similar polls conducted since 2016, asked people if they supported keeping the “one country, two systems” framework after 2047, handing full control of Hong Kong to Beijing, or seeking independence.
In previous similar surveys, about 60 percent said that they wanted the formula to continue to be used beyond 2047, when Beijing’s promise to respect the territory’s autonomy is to expire.
The majority of those who wanted independence were aged 15 to 24, while older respondents desired “stability,” Lee said.
About 60 percent said that if the protest movement succeeds, it would be possible to fix the shortcomings of the formula.
The results showed that independence is not the unifying force behind the protests, Lee said.
The protests are an implement for change and if they are used to push for independence, the Chinese Communist Party would not hesitate to quash all protest movements in the territory, he said, adding that the protesters would also lose international support.
A separate survey found that the protesters come from more diverse age groups and social classes than the 2014 “Umbrella movement.”
That survey was conducted by Lingnan University assistant professor Yuen Wai-hei (袁瑋熙), who interviewed more than 16,000 people at 25 protest locations in the territory.
Protesters’ demands have changed significantly between June and August, when they started to call for independent investigations into alleged police brutality, he said.
Respondents said that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) stepping down would not make a big difference.
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