Support among Hong Kongers for Taiwanese independence has reached its highest level in 21 years, with 35 percent of the respondents in a poll conducted by Hong Kong University’s Public Opinion Programme saying they support the idea, the university said on Tuesday.
The latest figure represents an increase of 6 percentage points from the previous poll conducted in August last year.
Fifty-two percent of respondents said they opposed Taiwanese independence, the university said.
Cross-analysis of the poll revealed that support for Taiwanese independence increased as respondent age decreased and confidence in the probability of Taiwan’s unification with China decreased with decreasing respondent age, it said.
The poll, conducted between Feb. 26 and March 3, took 1,004 valid samples and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
Although Hong Kongers continue to oppose Taiwanese independence as a whole, they lean toward giving more space to Taiwan on the international arena, said Frank Lee (李偉健), research manager at the program.
The poll showed a significant divide in Hong Kongers’ opinions about the Taiwan issue along generational lines, program analysts said.
For example, 67 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 29 said they support Taiwanese independence, with 24 percent in the group saying that they oppose the idea.
Meanwhile, 62 percent of respondents aged 50 or more said they oppose Taiwanese independence, with 21 percent saying they support it.
Additionally, only 20 percent of the respondents aged between 18 and 20 said that they are confident that Taiwan could be unified with China, while 77 percent said they are not confident.
“Deep analysis shows that the younger a citizen is, the more they support Taiwanese independence and the less faith they have in unification across the [Taiwan] Strait,” Lee said.
The Public Opinion Programme conducts a survey on Taiwan-related issues twice a year, in March and in August.
Among the topics covered in the most recent polls are Taiwan rejoining the UN and whether Beijing’s “one country, two systems” is applicable to Taiwan.
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